


I’m not scared of growing older (if you are by my side)

by Writerofthelorde



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Accidental Kissing, Affection, Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety, Babysitting, Bathing/Washing, Best Friends, Bickering, Boys Kissing, Caring, Children, Coming Out, Dad!Zuko, Domestic, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Drawing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Thinks They're Together, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fondness, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Funny, Gentle Kissing, Get Together, Getting Together, Grocery Shopping, Growing Old Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Jokes, Kids, Kissing, Literal Sleeping Together, Living Together, Longing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mischievous child, Modern AU, Moving In Together, Mutual Idiocy, Mutual Pining, Neck Kissing, Parent AU, Parenthood, Pet Names, Pining, Shopping, Sibling Love, Singing, Sleepovers, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Sokka is good with kids, Sort of at least, Teasing, Tenderness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, True Love, Wishes, Wishful Thinking, Yearning, Zuko is good with kids, affectionate Sokka, bonus chapter is coming soon!, carefully affectionate Zuko, caring Sokka, caring for a child, children wish, dad!Sokka, funny discourse, idiocy, kid wish, parent!Zukka, parenting, showering, soft, they're both absolutely smitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 80,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerofthelorde/pseuds/Writerofthelorde
Summary: Modern AU. The boys are in their 20ies and have been living together for a few years. Ursa knows both of them love Kiyi, and she also knows the two young men have feelings for each other. And so, when Kiyi begs to have a sleepover at their place she sends her 5-year-old on a mission to finally get the boys together. The problem is… she’s 5, and has no idea what she’s doing. She spends the entire weekend, teasing them about being in loooooove. The boys keep rolling their eyes and sighing, and blushing and avoiding eye contact.In turn, though, they each end up absolute, utterly pining messes because the other is just so good with kids they can't help but want kids with them. Like, right now.Lots of yearning and pining happens. So much. Like, I want to get married and adopt a kid today but I can't tell you that cause you don't like me, kind of pining.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 196
Kudos: 303





	1. The park

**Author's Note:**

> I saw the comic of Zuko finding his mom and his half-sister Kiyi and he was so good with her that I got inspired to write this. I am a kindergarten teacher and one of the kids in my class acts almost exactly the way Kiyi does in here, so it’s all accurate 5-year-old behaviour lol.

When Ursa asked if Kiyi could come over for a weekend as a big sleepover, they had gladly accepted. Ursa had sighed in relief. Kiyi had been begging her for _weeks_. She didn’t want to bother the boys with a moody 5-year-old, but she begged her until she had to give in.

What the boys hadn’t realised was that when she finally arranged a date, she had made another little arrangement with the girl. A secret one.

They knew of nothing, except that she was staying the whole weekend and they were going to do fun things.

Ursa dropped her off in the morning and for a moment she felt sorry for how bouncy and energised she was. She was just so excited to stay with her big brother and his _friend_.

Zuko promised it was no problem and gestured into the room to Sokka who was already running around with her.

“Now there’s two of them.”

His mother shot him an apologetic look and Zuko just shrugged.

“I’m just gonna sit back and wait for them to exhaust themselves.”

Ursa laughed at that and hugged her son. “Bye, sweetie.” She said to him. “Bye, sweetie!” She called into the apartment. Kiyi came running over and launched herself against her legs, holding on tight.

“Bye, mom!” She pursed her lips upwards and got a quick kiss.

“Be good. Listen to what they say. Don’t misbehave.”

“Yes, yes mom!” She sighed dramatically.

Zuko snorted and ran his hand over her head. “Hey, you can’t talk to mom like that.” He said with a wag of his finger. Kiyi just rolled her eyes and ran off.

Sokka came to stand next to him, a hand on Zuko’s back. He said goodbye and wished her safe travels. Ursa gave Kiyi a look and then quickly glanced at Sokka’s hand as a hint. Kiyi grinned and gave her mother a thumbs up. The boys hadn’t even noticed, they were too busy looking at each other and talking about going to the park later.

“Bye, mom!”

“text one of us when you’re home safe!” Sokka reminded her. Zuko rolled his eyes with a smile and Sokka saw it so he poked him in the side, making him yelp. “You know anything could happen to anyone of any age.”

“I know I know, you’re just ridiculous for saying it to my mom. Like she doesn’t know I expect a text from her.”

Sokka shrugged. “Tooch.”

“It’s touché.”

He shrugged again. “Toucheh.”

“Touché,” Zuko repeated.

“I’m glad you think so,” Sokka replied happily, and then grinned all smug right after. Kiyi distracted him and he ran off with a quick wave to Ursa.

“Tha- that doesn’t even make any sense…” Zuko uttered with a confused frown. He pulled a face at his mother who laughed warmly.

“Have fun, dear.”

Her son shook his head with a fond little smile. “I will.”

The morning went by quickly as they unpacked some of her things, attempted to organize her toys, and watched Tinkerbell when she had finally calmed down.

She spent pretty much the entire movie telling the two men what was going to happen, right before it happened.

“This!! Zuzu look at this!! Look now she’s going to get sad! See! There she goes! Awww..!” She pouted at Zuko. “And now her friends will make her feel better! They love her! See, here they come!”

Zuko and Sokka shared looks and grins as she continued to yell about her current favourite movie.

It felt nice, the three of them sitting on the couch, Kiyi between the two of them. Her enthusiastic storytelling and demanding you pay attention to what she says. Her crawling on Zuko’s lap and pulling Sokka closer so she could hold one of his hands.

It was just so, utterly, domestic.

Sokka knew that he was young. He knew that he still had many many years to live a domestic life, but sitting here with Zuko and a child…. it made him long for a life like this. His job was fine right now and Zuko’s was too, they could afford a child. Oh, how he wanted to be with Zuko and have a kid with him… the only problem was… they were just friends.

He tried his hardest not to think about that part. It was scary to think about how much he wanted that future. It was especially scary because he had since realised he didn’t want any other future. He didn’t want anything else. He couldn’t possibly imagine himself being happy without Zuko by his side. He needed Zuko there. In his life, in his house, in his _arms_ …

A future without him was… empty.

That emptiness was so incredibly frightening. How could he grow older without him? How could he possibly be okay?

He tried to focus on the fact that they were living together and they were _best friends for Pete’s sake, come on Sokka get your head out of the gutter._

Coincidentally Zuko was sitting next to him, holding onto his little sister, carding his fingers through her hair, and thinking about the same thing.

He had been in love with Sokka for… embarrassingly long… He wanted nothing more than to be with him and live with him with a kid of their own. There wasn’t much he would change about the way they were sitting at that moment.

He’d like to sit a little closer, lean a little further, feel Sokka’s arm around his waist… he’d like to be able to just turn his head and ask for a kiss, and then maybe linger for another and another, until Sokka would laugh and call him a sap. He wanted to take their baby out to the park, to the beach, to the pool…

He knew his head was going too fast. He knew his heart was the whole reason why. He knew, deep down, that he’d never get what he wanted unless he actually confronted his feelings and asked Sokka out. But they lived together, and he was certain Sokka didn’t feel the same way, and if he’d ask him out and Sokka gave him the inevitable no they couldn’t live together anymore and… well, he had just been so happy these past two years… Living with Sokka had been amazing.

Sokka cooked, he cleaned, they did the dishes together, they got groceries together… He had yet to realise it but, part of that domestic life he wanted with Sokka, he already had.

He closed his eyes when he realised he had been daydreaming. Kiyi was on his lap, facing him with both her hands on his cheeks.

“Earth to Zuzu!!”

He laughed awkwardly. He felt embarrassed for letting his head go that far. He hoped Sokka wouldn’t ask him what he had been thinking about. He couldn’t face that right now. He couldn’t face the inevitable sadness.

Sokka didn’t ask. He had been too busy living in his own, very similar, daydream to even notice what was going on next to him.

“I’m sorry Kiyi, I was just thinking. What were you saying?” Zuko spoke with a hand on top of one of hers.

She turned around in his lap, pulled an arm around her waist, and reached over to hold one of Sokka’s hands once more.

“I was saying you need to see this part. It’s the best part of the movie!”

As the credits were rolling she was already playing with her toys and making a mess again. They let Netflix play as Zuko sat down on the floor with her and Sokka started making them lunch.

“Hey Soso, do you love Zuzu?” Kiyi asked when she saw him walk over. She had suddenly remembered the mission her mother had sent her on and she was feeling rather… _mischievous_.

One time Sokka had laughed at her calling Zuko Zuzu and she had been calling him Soso ever since. He wasn’t sure if it was to tease him or to show him love, but he adored it either way.

Sokka laughed endearingly. “Yes I do, sweetie.” He sat down next to Zuko, facing Kiyi. He shot Zuko a quick smile. They were best friends, they could tell each other that, right?

“Can you kiss him?” She pressed on.

Sokka blushed almost as bad as Zuko, but he didn’t falter. “Sure, I can kiss his cheek. If that’s okay with him.”

Zuko shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine.” His heart was racing at the thought. It wasn’t like it would be the first time, but right after saying he loved him? That felt different.

“Mommy and daddy kiss on the mouth.” She folded her arms over her chest. Zuko swallowed dryly. That move showed she meant business and she wasn’t going to stop until she was satisfied.

Sokka laughed awkwardly this time. “Sure they do. Zuko and I don’t though.”

“Why not? If you love each other?”

“There’s more than one kind of love Kiyi.” Zuko offered, hoping she would drop it. It didn’t matter that he definitely did love Sokka in the way she thought he did. He was not about to discuss that with her, and especially not here, where Sokka could hear them.

Sokka, desperately wanting out of the conversation, moved to get up to check on their lunch and as he did so he winked at Kiyi, before leaning towards Zuko to kiss his cheek.

Except, the movement.. had made Zuko look up at him… and before either of them could realise, their lips were pressed together.

Both of them froze. They spent what felt like forever just frozen like that. Lips gently pressed to the other’s, Sokka’s eyes were closed but eyebrows high, Zuko’s open wide.

When he finally _had_ to let go of the breath he had been holding in, because he simply had to breathe, he felt himself relax and close his eyes.. and _shit_. He was kissing back now…

He was tilting his head and moving his lips and Sokka breathed out a sigh and was pressing closer and a hand suddenly touched his face and pulled him even closer and shit they were kissing! They were _actually_ kissing!

Zuko was so into it he didn’t even realise that he opened his mouth further and licked Sokka’s lips mid-kiss. Sokka shuddered. He was about to allow Zuko excess, but then…

Zuko pulled away the second his brain allowed him to.

 _Fuck_.

Did they just ruin their friendship?

Sokka couldn’t look at him. His face was hot with a blush and he quickly dropped his hand. He swallowed heavily, his eyes roaming over Zuko’s face, who wasn’t looking back. Then he got up and walked away without saying another word. He couldn’t face him after.. that.

He had wanted that for so long, so _incredibly_ long, but not like this…

When Zuko looked at Kiyi to see if she was satisfied he found that she wasn’t even looking at him anymore. She had a smile on her lips though, and Zuko couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He moved closer to her and hugged her, pressing his nose into her cheek.

“Did you do that on purpose?” He whispered to her.

Sokka, still standing around the corner, heard him say that. He couldn’t help himself when he peeked around to check on them. They looked cute. Zuko was so good with Kiyi. It was very charming.

He wasn’t sure how to feel in that moment. Did him saying that mean he wanted it too? Or was he implying that he didn’t want it, and blamed his little sister for it happening anyway? His tone wasn’t angry or mean though… but then again he’d never be angry or mean to Kiyi.

He spent a moment, on his own in his room, pressing the pads of his fingers to his lips as if to feel Zuko’s touch again. Zuko did the same in the other room.

They spent a minute or two doing that until something started smoking and both Kiyi and Zuko noticed the smell.

“Sokka..? Should the stove be smoking?”

 _Crap_.

Sokka ran into the kitchen and quickly tried to save their food. It definitely should _not_ be smoking.

He was glad, later on, that he didn’t have to face Zuko as they ate their lunch.

He felt bad, not wanting to face his best friend, but after that kiss, he wasn’t sure if he ever could. How was he supposed to look at him and not let his eyes wander down to his lips to remember the way they felt against his own? How was he supposed to keep it to himself that he wanted more of that? That he wanted to hold his hand and his face and feel his lips against his skin and his hair between his fingers? How could he possibly look him in the eye and not give everything away?

Ridiculously enough, Zuko was sitting two chairs away thinking the exact same thing.

After lunch, they went to the park. Both were hoping that they would be able to drop their anxieties about that kiss, and about how they would continue from there on out. They tried their hardest to just chat like nothing had happened and to play with Kiyi as if she hadn’t just potentially ruined their friendship.

Except as they were walking, both kept feeling a subconscious urge to reach out and grab the other’s hand.

They almost held hand several times but… the split second their hands touched they would both pull away.

It was torture.

While at the park though, Sokka was running around with Kiyi and Zuko just watched them feeling so damn in love.

At one point Sokka ran over to him and stopped too late. He sent them both sprawling to the ground. Thankfully, he managed to move his face so it landed next to Zuko’s face, rather than on it.

They laughed at Sokka’s idiocy but then stopped abruptly when Sokka backed off and they both noticed their faces were, _incredibly_ , close to each other.

Zuko’s eyes roamed over his face, searching for a sign that maybe he wanted to kiss again. Just as he thought that maybe, just maybe, Sokka was leaning in to kiss him, Kiyi ran over.

“Soso! Why did you go? You have to come with me!”

Sokka backed away with a laugh.

“Right. Sorry, sweetie. I got distracted.”

He got up and tried not to gaze at Zuko as he reached out his hand to pull him back up too. He pulled a tad too hard. Whether that was a conscious decision or not, he didn’t know, but it had lead to another rather tricky situation.

They were standing so close now. Sokka had pulled him up so hard that the tips of their noses were touching.

Sokka breathed in shakily, his eyes on Zuko’s but his best friend was looking down. Zuko’s lip trembled as he thought of how easy it was to just lean in and kiss him. Except he was too scared. He believed, deep in his heart, that Sokka did not feel the same way.

He couldn’t possibly lean in and ruin their friendship even more. He already hated himself for kissing Sokka and pulling him in to force him to kiss back. He felt like he hadn’t given Sokka a choice, even though the opposite was true.

He breathed in harshly and stepped away, turning to face Kiyi.

“Promise me you won’t go too far.”

Kiyi rolled her eyes at him. “Of course not, Zuzu.”

“Hey, don’t you roll your eyes at your brother..!” Sokka wagged his finger at her. “That’s very rude.”

Kiyi pouted. “Okay…”

“That’s better, let’s go.” Sokka took her hand in his and resisted the urge to look at Zuko before they walked away.

When later it was Zuko’s turn to run around with her so Sokka could rest, he too found himself feeling just so damn in love. Zuko was just so good with his little sister. He couldn’t help but fall back into his daydream about Zuko and their potential child.

He wished so badly that they could get married and have a kid. Just the one would be enough. One would probably be the best with this economy anyway.

Yes, Sokka was already in so deep that he was thinking about finances and how much it would cost to turn his room into a kid's room. He was already thinking of what he was going to paint on the wall and what kind of cute clothes he would buy them and how they would go on so many fun trips together to make their kid happy.

He sighed as he looked at the two of them. He had to tell Zuko he loved him first. He couldn’t have all the steps after that if he didn’t even dare to take the first one.

A mom next to him was smiling in his direction and he looked over at her.

“Your partner is a very good father.”

Sokka smiled at her. His eyes stinging with tears as the compliment triggered emotions he tried his best to push down.

“Yes, he is.” He nodded at her, before quickly looking back at his two favourite people. He blinked away the tears. This was not the time to get emotional over wanting him to be the father of his kids. He could happily daydream all he wanted but the underlying sadness that came with those dreams was not welcome.

He refused to give in to the sadness of not having what he wanted. Of not daring to make a move. Of thinking that Zuko only kissed him because it was an automatic thing your brain just does when someone else kisses you.

He would _not_ give in to the hurting that came along with his yearning. He would very much like to ignore the way his heart clenched at the thought of never having that life with him.

He pulled his knees up and crossed his arms on top of them as he looked at the playing kids.

Thankfully Zuko noticed the way Sokka was sitting pretty quickly. He told Kiyi to play with the other kids as he went to check on Sokka.

“Are you okay?” He said as he sat down next to him.

Sokka looked up and put on a fake smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Zuko could see right through it though, and so he just gave him an unimpressed look.

“Tell me what’s bothering you.” Zuko shuffled closer to him in the grass.

Sokka, without thinking about it, wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer. It was something he usually did without feeling weird about it but now… things were different…

He made the mistake of glancing at him. Their faces were so close he found himself almost telling the truth.

“I want to-” He stopped, looked away, and tried to find a sensible reason for his sudden awkwardness. He couldn't exactly say what was actually on his mind. _I want to kiss you. I want to have kids with you._

“I want to uhh... take a nap. I’m just tired.” He lied.

Zuko knew him well. He knew something was up that Sokka wasn’t telling him but he did have a very tiring day at work yesterday and so he chose to believe him.

“You wanna go play with her some more? Maybe it’ll revive your energy.”

Sokka laughed warmly. “You’re just saying that because you want to be lazy and sit here.”

Zuko backed off slightly, looking at him in a very disapproving way. “How dare you call me lazy..! You’ve been sitting here falling asleep!”

“Hey, I said I was tired!” Sokka laughed back at him.

The way they were sitting had caused Sokka’s hand to move from his shoulder to his neck and for a moment Sokka realised how easy it was to just pull him in and kiss him.

Zuko seemed to be thinking the same thing and as their eyes met once again they both felt a wave of embarrassment wash over them.

They moved away from the other and Sokka quickly got up.

“You’re probably right. I will get energy from playing with her." He couldn't look at him. "Will you stay with our stuff?”

“Yeah, I’ll be here.”

Zuko spent ages just gazing at the two of them running around and playing. Sokka kept pulling more kids into their game. He played with them as if no one could see him be an absolute buffoon. It was the cutest, most heartwarming shit Zuko had ever seen.

A mother who had sat down on his other side laughed at something Sokka did. He had pulled her kids into the game too.

“Your husband is very good with kids.” She said with a warm smile.

Zuko tried his best to smile back at her. He didn’t have the heart to tell her she was wrong.

“He really is.” He agreed.

He thought that maybe the mother wanted to have an actual conversation with him but his head just wouldn’t for the life of him shut up about one simple word. _Husband_.

He spent minutes absolutely zoned out thinking about calling Sokka his husband. He fell right back into his regular daydream about a life together with Sokka. He dreamt of calling him his husband and Sokka calling him husband in return. Sokka’s husband…. _Oof_ that had a nice ring to it.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice Sokka waving at him, or calling his name, or even Sokka running over with a worried face. He didn’t realise Sokka was standing in front of him, and talking to him until Sokka touched his leg and asked him if he was okay.

“Y-yeah I’m okay. Just.. you know... thinking.” He pulled a face. He wasn’t sure what kind of face it was but Sokka seemed to know what he meant anyway.

“Okay… if you say so.” Sokka sat down in the grass next to him. “You’ll tell me if something’s wrong, right?”

“Should something be wrong or right?” Zuko teased, trying to stay out of his head. Sokka elbowed him in the side and then leant his head on his shoulder.

“You know what I mean…”

Zuko resisted the urge to touch his face. “Yeah, I know…”

Things felt weird. After their kiss, they still felt like they couldn’t look each other in the eye. Though at the same time, they both felt a need to be close to the other. Closer than before. Things felt wrong and yet… better than ever…

They sat like that for a moment until Sokka finally looked up at him. “So, what were you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Zuko said with a growing blush.

“Ooh so it’s embarrassing..!” Sokka teased, but he didn’t press. He thought, wished even, that maybe Zuko had been thinking about that kiss. Had been thinking about the feeling of their lips pressed together, their breath mixing together, his tongue… in his mouth… _Oof_ he had to stop himself from thinking about that. He wanted it too badly.

The thought of casually mentioning it hovered around in his head like the DVD logo on a screen. Oh how he just wanted to go, _“Was the embarrassing thought maybe the thought of your tongue in my mouth because if so, you should just do that instead of thinking about it.”_ but he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t ruin their friendship like that. No matter how badly he wanted it.

And so, they sat there like that in silence, watching the kids play until it was time to leave.

When they told Kiyi they had to leave they had to spend several minutes chasing her around the playground. It was both annoying and hilarious at the same time.

When they finally caught her though, she started screaming and threw a tantrum. _Oh no._ People were looking at them.

“What’s up with you?” Sokka asked exasperatedly. Kiyi silenced for a solid second to give him a look and then continued screaming. “Are you mad?” He asked while swaying his hips casually. He tried his hardest not to smile.

She frowned at him. “Yes!”

“What are you mad at?” He asked as he continued to sway towards her.

“You! You’re stupid!”

Zuko gasped and was about to tell her off, but Sokka had a plan. He dramatically stepped away from her and looked her up and down. “I really don’t believe you’re mad at me. Look at you, you’re not even frowning anymore..!”

Kiyi took a moment to think. Was he… encouraging her to be mad?

She frowned at him.

“Yes!” Sokka called out. “That’s what I’m talking about! Now ball your hands into fists.” Even though she was confused, she did as she was told.

“And put them on your hips with a huff.” Sokka continued as if people weren’t watching them.

She hesitantly put her fists on her hips.

“Great! Now grunt!” He grunted dramatically as an example. She grunted quietly, unsure of what was going on. “No, louder!” She grunted again. “Louder!” She grunted as loud as she could and then laughed.

Sokka smiled at her. “There we go, feeling better?”

She frowned at him and thought. She didn’t want to say yes. She still wanted to be angry, and so she shook her head.

“No.”

Sokka, however, knew that technique and just continued to be a little bit silly. “Are we still mad?” He asked as he got back to swaying his hips.

“YEs!”

“What are we mad at? The tree? cause I am! It’s blocking my sun!”

She looked around at the tree and then when she looked back she pulled a face at Sokka. She was confused, annoyed, and… about to start laughing. He was moving around in big angry steps, arms in the air, and then pointing at the tree, twirling and moving back.

“What are you doing?” The smile she was trying to repress was tugging at her lips.

“I’m doing the angry dance!” He knew he had to take it a step further to really get her to laugh and so he made his moves even more dramatic and loudly yelled at the tree. “Begone tree! Thou art blocking mine sun!”

He did a terrible robot-like dance for a bit, making his way over to her, then threw his hands in the air and wiggled them around at the sky.

Kiyi laughed at him and told him he’s silly.

Sokka acted as if he didn’t understand, taking a step back with a dramatic gasp. “Why are you laughing? This is how regular people dance.” He put his hand next to his mouth to pretend to stop others, including Zuko, from hearing him. “I’m definitely not an alien who doesn’t really know how humans dance.”

She giggled cutely and ran to him to hug him around his neck. Sokka picked her up and hugged her tight, and then spun her around. And then while silly dancing with her in his arms they made their way over to Zuko.

Zuko, while watching it all, was so filled with love it hurt. It hurt _so good_. He wanted to tell him he loves him. Unfortunately, he had trouble saying those words, so he didn’t. He thought it though. He thought it so much and so loudly that he hoped maybe Sokka would just.. feel it somehow.

Sokka could see it in his eyes and for a moment didn’t know how to act. After that morning things were… awkward. He wanted so badly to just walk over and kiss him till his knees gave in. He wanted to embrace him and cradle his head in his hands and tell him, _“I want kids. I want them with you.”_ but he couldn’t. He still didn’t know if Zuko had kissed back because he _wanted_ to.

Really it should have been obvious to the young man but… Sokka was an idiot… an oblivious one at that.

Kiyi took one look at them from Sokka’s arms and seemed to know what was going on. She leant in towards his ear and then did _not_ whisper when she said, “You should kiss him.”

Both boys rocked a killer blush in an instant.

“Kiyi..!” Zuko muttered.

“What?” She asked innocently. Neither of the young men were sure if she knew what she was doing. Five-year-olds do not yet understand that kind of love. They barely understand crushes. At that age, all they know is love in general, and they’re starting to learn about crushes but they’re way too young to know what it actually means.

Sokka ignored it completely and just started walking back in the direction of their apartment.

“Aren’t you in looooove?” She teased after a couple of minutes of silence.

Sokka held on to her tighter, unsure of how to react to this. Sure, she was right, but Zuko wasn’t supposed to know that. She kept pressing the matter as both of the guys stayed silent, neither of them knowing what to do.

At a particularly discomforting comment Sokka stopped in his tracks. “Do you want to walk?” He asked sternly. Kiyi’s grin was gone in a heartbeat. Sokka kind of hated it.

“No.”

“Then shush. Talk about something else.”

She pouted dramatically, but upon realising that Sokka was waiting for an answer before continuing their walk she sighed.

“Okay…”

Thankfully she rambled about a kid she had met at the park and the young men felt their nerves calm down for the last bit of their walk back home.

They both hoped the rest of the day would involve less teasing on Kiyi's side.


	2. The flashback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys remember the day Sokka moved into Zuko's apartment. They almost got together that day... so why didn't they?
> 
> There's hurt/comfort in this one pals!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't wait to post more because these two idiots are just so full of yearning I'm gonna die. So here's more! I hope you like it! <3

They get McDonald’s for dinner. They couldn’t give her a healthy meal and lose the title of her favourite people. They sat in front of the tv as they ate. Zuko and Kiyi on the ground, Sokka on the couch. They were watching a show they always watched together during dinner. Kiyi was mostly focused on her fries though. Her fries and her happy meal toy, of course.

Zuko was watching the show and feeding his little sister when she was too distracted to eat, and Sokka was mostly just watching Zuko. He was thinking about the day he moved in. Some things in the living room were still the same. He was trying to remember the date and that’s when he realised.

“Well, I’ll be da- _aaaaaaarned_ …” He dragged out the word as he, thankfully, stopped himself from cursing. Zuko looked up at him with a questioning look.

“It’s our anniversary tomorrow!”

 _Well_ , he could’ve worded that better….

Zuko blushed instantly, his heart beating so fast he was probably having a heart attack.

“W-what do you mean.” He quickly drank from his milkshake to cool himself down.

“Tomorrow two years ago I moved in.”

“Oh….. that’s right.” Zuko smiled at the memory. He hoped his blush wasn’t as visible as it felt. Sokka’s gaze on him was both intense and full of love.

“Can you believe it’s been two years..?”

It had been one hell of a day… Kiyi had been there too.

Ursa hadn’t known it was moving day and had made the mistake of coming by with Kiyi. Kiyi had refused to go home and Zuko had told her that if she behaved she could stay. It was partially a way to also get to see Sokka be great with her again. Sokka and Kiyi had only met once before, and he had been an absolute _dream_ that first time. She loved him instantly.

Contrary to what she promised, she was a big distraction, mostly to Katara’s annoyance. As strong as she was… She didn’t want to do all the lifting on her own. Just because she _could_ lift most of his furniture alone, shouldn’t mean that she had to. Except Sokka kept getting distracted by how cute Kiyi was and how good Zuko was with her.

He timely regretted moving in with his -definitely more than a crush- crush, cause seeing him with his half-sister was tucking at his heartstrings. Damn.

Katara kept pulling away her brother to help her lift his stuff and Zuko kept apologising for barely being able to help, cause every time he got up to help, Kiyi would cry and stick her little arms out, make grabby hands and beg for Zuzu to stay. It would’ve been annoying if it wasn’t the cutest thing in the world. Both Kiyi loving her brother and Zuko absolutely melting every time she did the grabby hands.

Later that day, when they were all resting and drinking some tea that Ursa had made for them, Kiyi was sitting on the floor with Zuko’s phone watching a children’s playlist. Sokka knew most of the songs from hearing Zuko quietly sing them. Though they hadn’t been living together before, they were over at each other’s house all the time.

Sokka would listen to Zuko humming kids’ songs as he moved around the kitchen watching him cook, or as they drove somewhere together. It was incredibly charming. He was doing the same thing that day. He was sitting on the ground quietly humming the song as he played with Kiyi’s hair.

The next song started on the youtube playlist, and like they had planned it, both Katara and Sokka froze at the exact same time. They looked at each other, both with tears in their eyes and a sad smile on their lips.

“Mom…” Sokka whispered.

Katara nodded at him. “Mom used to sing this.”

Zuko quickly got up and tried to take his phone from Kiyi. “Kiyi sweetie, we need to turn it off.”

“No!” Kiyi yelled upset. She was 3 and well, she got everything she wanted so this was how she always got when she didn’t want to listen to him, or anyone. Zuko understood it. She was just a preschooler after all, but right in this moment, he was desperate to turn the song off.

He glanced up at his friends who were staring at the ground as they heard the song, one arm around the other. Tears silently making their way down both their faces.

“Kiyi, this is important. Please.” Zuko begged but no, she wasn’t listening. Zuko was about to turn his sister around and show her how sad their friends were, hoping that Kiyi would understand if he told her the song made their friends sad. Except Sokka looked up, right as he was about to turn her, and smiled sadly.

“It’s okay, Zuko.” He promised.

Maybe it was good for them to hear the song again.

“What’s the song called?” He asked quietly.

Zuko tried to look at the screen, but Kiyi pulled the phone away. He sighed. “Kiyi, please. I won’t turn it off, I just want to look at the screen.” She hesitantly showed the phone. Zuko took it from her, but let her see what he was doing.

As he told Sokka the name of the song he pressed something on the screen and she freaked out. “Relax Kiyi..! I’m just saving the video for later. So we can find it again.”

Kiyi inspected his face and then nodded, deciding she believed him.

Above her, Zuko could see Sokka’s sad but loving face. He smiled at him and Zuko smiled back.

“Thank you.” Sokka mouthed the words.

“No worries.” Zuko mouthed back. It felt like a stupid reply but he wasn’t sure what else he could say. He wanted to tell him he loved him, but he barely ever said those words out loud. The only person in the room he really said it to was Kiyi.

Ursa came out of the bedroom and looked around the room, trying to figure out what had just happened. Katara was crying, Sokka was crying and looking at Zuko with a gaze that was both full of tears and full of love, Zuko’s gaze towards him was impossibly even more loving, and Kiyi was sitting on the ground happily humming a song like nothing was happening.

Zuko blinked, cleared this throat, and got up as soon as he saw his mother. Which wasn’t immediately.

“It’s a song their mom used to sing.” He whispered to her. She pressed a hand to her heart. Those poor kids.

Zuko quickly walked over to his friends and looked at Sokka with questioning eyes. Kiyi replayed the song the second it had ended and Sokka’s eyes filled with tears immediately.

Zuko turned around to tell his little sister to turn it off but Sokka used his free hand to pull him into a hug. The oldest of the three wrapped his arms around the siblings and hugged them both as they quietly let out their emotions on his shoulders. Zuko couldn’t resist the urge to kiss Sokka’s temple. It was just right there next to his mouth, and the boy was sad, what else was he supposed to do.

After a moment he realised that Katara had totally heard the kiss and so he leant over to her and kissed her head too. He could feel her smile into his shoulder.

They stood there for the entire song, and when it was over he finally moved away to look at their faces. Kiyi instantly hit replay again and Ursa quickly distracted her with a toy with a different song and managed to discretely turn off Zuko’s phone.

Zuko breathed out a sigh of relief, before finally fully pulling away. He put both his hands on one of their cheeks and looked at them one by one.

“You two okay?”

They both nodded and Sokka leant into his touch. “Thanks, Zuko,” Katara said as she dried her eyes. Zuko smiled sadly at her. She moved to sit down next to Ursa. She had to think about something else, and quick.

Sokka subconsciously drifted back into Zuko’s grip. Their arms loosely around each other at first, but slowly tightening to hold onto each other properly.

After a minute or two of just simply hugging, Zuko started carding his fingers through Sokka’s hair, accidentally loosening the tie around his wolf tail.

He let out a soft “whoops.” when the tie slipped off fully.

Sokka chuckled. “Like you didn’t do that on purpose.”

Zuko backed off, but only slightly. He tried to ignore how close their faces were. “I did not..!”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Shut up and play with my hair.”

“Yes sir.” Zuko chuckled, moved back in, and did as he was told.

Sokka relaxed into his grip, pushing away the feeling of embarrassment as Zuko did it without complaining or teasing. One of Zuko’s arms was wrapped around his waist and the other wrapped over his shoulder to give himself the space to play with his hair properly. Sokka’s arms both started around his waist, one just went straight across and the other reached up and gripped onto his shoulder.

He breathed out a sigh when he leant his forehead onto his other shoulder. Zuko shivered from the tickling of his breath. Sokka shivered from the tickling of his fingers in his hair. Neither of them mentioned it.

Ursa and Katara shot each other a look that spoke a thousand words. They giggled quietly, but the boys didn’t hear them. Too far away in their own little bubble.

After a couple of minutes of that Zuko suddenly spotted the cup of tea that was standing… pathetically close to him... How had he not seen that earlier? Perhaps it was because he had his eyes closed for most of the hug, or perhaps it was because even if his eyes were open his mind was on his feelings for Sokka, rather than the tea that was growing cold. His uncle would probably scold him for it. Lovingly of course.

He backed off slightly, Sokka’s eyes blinking open slowly to focus his gaze on his best friend. His hands slid past his body reluctantly. He really didn’t want to get back to lifting heavy furniture up the stairs. He wanted to feel Zuko’s warm embrace.

“Your tea,” Zuko spoke quietly.

“Oh,” Sokka responded uninterestedly. He really couldn’t care less about that tea. He stepped away from Zuko anyway. He didn’t want to start living together on an awkward, clingy note.

Zuko turned and suddenly realised how for the past minutes he had totally forgotten his mother was watching him. He blushed and couldn’t look her in the eye. He hadn’t told her yet. That he liked guys. Or that he liked Sokka specifically.

It wasn’t that he thought her reaction would be bad, it was just that he couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t risk losing her. Even if her reaction was positive, if she’d say something even a little bit offensive he would just have to walk away. He couldn’t fight with her.

He didn’t have the energy to put into words how some things she said were offensive… Not having the words for things always frustrated him into anger. He’d just get too frustrated to be able to form a sentence at all and it would make him feel like he was exploding. And the thought of him fighting with her just brought up memories of him fighting with his father...

So instead of facing her, he moved his attention back to Sokka, who was gulping down his tea.

“Cold?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. _Worth it though._ He didn’t want to say it, but going by the grin that was slowly appearing on Zuko’s lips he didn’t have to. Damn that boy for knowing him so well.

“Do you want a new cup?”

Sokka looked over at Katara and regretted it instantly. He closed his eyes to avoid her smirk. “yeah that’d be nice.” He decided not to ask Katara if she had the time.

Zuko moved to boil some new water. Setting enough for everyone, just so he didn’t have to face them to ask.

“Sit on the counter.” He softly said to Sokka with a move of his head.

Sokka obeyed without questioning what he was thinking about. As soon as he was sitting Zuko moved to stand in between his legs and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his forehead against Sokka’s chest.

Sokka’s arms moved around him and he pressed his face forward into Zuko’s hair. His arms mindlessly drifted to hold onto his head as he leant on it.

When moments later Zuko backed away and looked up at him, their faces were so close. One of Sokka’s hands slid down to his cheek and they gazed at each other from up close for a moment too long.

Katara and Ursa were holding hands by then, ready to squeal or yell out a, “finally!”

Sokka didn’t even notice that he was tilting his head. Zuko barely noticed he was leaning into the hand on his cheek. He barely even noticed that his eyes were hooded as he gazed through his lashes into Sokka’s blue eyes.

It was so easy, to just lean in, to just breathe in and press closer and kiss him softly. His lips were parted as he leant in. It was so warm and calm and _comfortable_ , it just felt right.

If it wasn’t for Zuko, all of a sudden, registering Kiyi’s soft singing, he would have kissed him. If it wasn’t for Zuko then remembering the others in the room, he would have let Sokka lean in the last inch. Except he _did_ register his sister’s voice, and he did remember there were others. He became _too_ aware of them being in the room and he pulled away.

Thankfully, he realised the water was done and so he walked over to pour them some tea. He was glad he didn’t have to face Sokka.

Sokka’s hand was hovering in the air for a solid second before he let it drop. He put his face in his hand and dragged that hand down his cheek a moment later.

What was he doing? He couldn’t try to kiss him on day one..! What were they gonna do? Immediately move all his stuff back out again? No. No, he had to hold it in. Maybe living together would give him a hint on whether he felt the same way or not. He’d make a move when he was _sure_.

Zuko silently poured in the tea for Sokka, and then without looking asked if Katara and his mom wanted some too.

“Nah. I’m good,” Katara said plainly.

“No thank you, dear,” Ursa said with a smile.

Sokka wasn’t looking at them either. He too had realised that he had been doing all of this not just in front of his sister.. who was a tease but knew about his feelings.. but also in front of Zuko’s mother..! Who did not even know either of them were queer, to begin with.

He tried not to think about how his closeness with Zuko might have outed him to his mother. That was never his intention. They had just been such good friends for so long, they had been affectionate together for quite some years now. Although suddenly, he couldn’t remember if they had ever been affectionate in front of her.

They drink their tea in silence. Zuko moved back over to Kiyi and played with her without looking up at his mother. He was too scared to face her.

Sokka just sat on a barstool and watched him. Partially because he didn’t want to face them either, and partially because Zuko was just so damn cute with his little sister. He was so cute, in fact, that he always walked over and kissed him anyway. Except then he’d be reminded of the others in the room.

Later when they got back to moving Sokka’s stuff in, Ursa told the siblings that they would be right with them. “I just have something to talk about with Zuko.” She said innocently. Kiyi was taking a nap on Zuko’s bed, so they could talk in private.

Sokka tried his hardest not to freeze or panic. Shit shit shit shit _shit_! He really did just out him!

“Do you want me to stay for support?” Sokka offered Zuko as casually as he could.

“No,” Ursa said firmly but warmly. “This is just for the two of us. Don’t worry though, it’s nothing bad.”

Sokka breathed out a sigh of relief at the tone of her voice and the look on her face. If it was about him being queer, she was going to be nice about it, he could see it.

He left to go help Katara carry his stuff. He still felt nervous, but he tried to shake it off. Ursa was kind and caring. She wouldn’t be mean to him…. but after everything Zuko’s been through… he really didn’t want to take the risk… The only reason he actually left was because of Katara’s annoyed voice demanding him to come to help her. She was right to be annoyed, of course, she was lifting _his_ things after all.

Zuko awkwardly moved to sit on the counter, right where Sokka had just been sitting. Ursa walked over to stand next to him and she placed a hand on his leg.

“Zuko, I love you. You know that right?”

Zuko nodded and swallowed dryly. He didn’t know why he was nervous. He had a hunch though. He hadn’t exactly been his regular level of affectionate with Sokka in front of her yet. It must’ve looked like they were already together. And sure enough…

“I hope he makes you happy.”

Zuko bit his lip. “We’re not… together.” He mumbled, not looking her in the eye.

“Yeah, I figured.” She tried to get him to look at her. She put her head between him and his legs, to force eye contact, and he laughed nervously but kept looking her in the eye.

“You love him though.” She stated.

Zuko breathed in to speak, but she held up a hand.

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I have eyes. I can see that you love him. He’s a good guy, Zuko. I couldn’t wish for you to be with anyone kinder. I think he’s going to make you very happy. I know that he always has.” Her voice was so warm and gentle he could feel himself crumbling.

“I love you, Zuko. Always have, always will.”

That made the tears spill. “I thought…”

At that moment Katara and Sokka arrived at the door and Sokka put down the desk and held up a hand in the air and a finger to his lips. Katara could see he was dead serious and so she didn’t say a word.

“I thought that we’d fight.” They heard him sniffle.

 _Ah_. Katara thought. _The coming out_. She remembered Sokka’s. Although his was terribly easy, it had been ridiculous. He had sat their father, Bato, and herself around the table and then after a full minute of stammering just went, “You and Bato. That. Is me. Well, and mom. Both. You know. Women. And Men.” Their father had laughed. “Sokka, are you trying to tell me you’re bi or pan through absolutely terrible wording?” “Yes!” Sokka had exclaimed.

Bato and their dad had obviously been super accepting and respectful, and then Sokka had looked at her all nervous, and well… she may have been a bit too blunt.. maybe “Sokka I’ve seen you be in love with a guy for the past year,” wasn’t the best thing to say… but it had been the final push for their idiot father to connect all the dots and call out “Oh Zuko! Of course!” and he had been the very best kind of embarrassed she had ever seen him. The best part though, was that after that conversation, he had been the happiest, sweetest, most warm-hearted version of himself. She could almost see the weight physically lifting off of him.

So that day, she moved over to Sokka and pulled him into her arms. He almost made a sound of surprise, but thankfully managed to keep it in.

They listened carefully.

“I thought…” They heard him try again. “I thought I’d lose my words… Thought I was gonna get frustrated and hurt you…”

“Zuko,” Ursa exclaimed. “You could never hurt me. My dear, you are such a fantastic young man. There is nothing about you I’m not proud of. So you like boys too..! Who ca-”

“Actually it’s only boys…” He admitted. He hated that he interrupted her, but he needed her to know. “I’m gay.”

“Okay.” She said nodding seriously. “Thank you for telling me. I love you.” Zuko sniffled and moved to get off the counter and hug his mother.

“…as I was saying…” She said with a soft laugh. “… so you like men.. who cares what anyone thinks? If you’re happy, then I’m happy. That’s all I care about. I already know that you’re a good man, so now all I need to worry about is that you’re happy… and I think you’re working on that.”

Zuko nodded, unable to speak.

They hugged for a while until they heard Sokka sniffle in the hallway.

“Sokka?” Zuko asked, immediately worried. The boy appeared and smiled awkwardly.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” He walked over to Zuko and hugged him tightly. “I’m glad she took your coming-out well. I’m happy for you.” Zuko hugged him back just as tightly. He was glad that they hadn’t started eavesdropping just a little sooner, cause things would’ve been very different if he had heard that part… Of course he didn’t _actually_ know when they had started listening but he knew that if Sokka had heard the part where he’s in love with him, he would have had some kind of a bigger reaction.

After a moment Sokka pulled away and faced Ursa. “Thank you. I’m uhh.. I’m bi, so hearing a mom react well to a coming-out.. that means a lot.”

She smiled warmly at him and then pulled him into a hug. She knew he never got to come out to his mother, so maybe a good mother figure needed to give him a good hug. “I’m proud of you too.” She kissed his forehead. “You’re a good man. A kind man.” She glanced at Zuko, who blushed.

Did she know something he didn’t? What else had they talked about before it turned into a coming out?

Katara chuckled as she faced Ursa as well. “His coming out was catastrophic.” Ursa didn’t laugh. “In a good way,” Sokka promised. He smiled at Katara who started to explain it. He turned back to Zuko and smiled at him.

“She took it well, huh?” He whispered as he wiped the tears off Zuko’s cheeks.

“Yeah.. it was so much better than I could’ve imagined.” He wiped the tears off Sokka’s face.

What a pair they were, standing there wiping each other’s tears off their faces, standing close, touching a lot, gazes full of love, and they weren’t even together? Insane. And then to think that two years from then they still weren’t together? Absolutely outrageous.

A moment later they were all distracted by a neighbour, calling into the apartment from the hallway. “Uhh, can I pass please?”

Zuko walked over to the door, knowing that voice. “Mai, hey..!” She waved in an annoyed way, but she still smiled. A little bit. She didn’t really smile much, didn’t go with her goth look she once said.

“We’re moving Sokka in.” He said as an explanation for the desk.

Mai shot him a knowing smirk and Zuko tried not to blush. The siblings walked into the hallway and lifted the desk up. He did not want Sokka to see his blush, nor did he want him to see Mai’s smirk, and so he tried to stand in front of her as they walked past him.

“It’s okay, we’ve got it,” Katara promised him when he tried to help. Zuko stepped aside and stared at Sokka’s arms as he lifted the desk with ease. Mai elbowed him in the side. “Careful, he’s gonna notice.” She teased. Zuko shushed her.

Mai just walked into his apartment when she heard Kiyi and the doorway was clear. She waved at her and Kiyi ran into her arms. Mai faked annoyance and kissed her cheek. Kiyi hugged her tight.

“Hey Ursa.” She said as she put her down. “How’s life?”

“Hey Mai, it’s good, certainly can’t complain. How is yours?”

They had a small conversation, but Zuko wasn’t listening anymore. Katara and Sokka had walked past behind him to get more stuff from downstairs, and Sokka had dragged a hand past his back as he passed him.

Living with Sokka was going to be the best. The guy was so affectionate. Affectionate but also respectful of his boundaries, and he knew when it became too much for him.

Sokka had learned years ago, when they first became friends, that Zuko hadn’t received a lot of loving touches in his life. So Sokka had become more aware of his touches so that he knew to hold them in and only give Zuko a couple of them at a time. They slowly built up to a point where Zuko realised affection was fantastic and he wanted _more_.

Since then they had been all over each other whenever they felt safe. At his place, at Sokka and Katara’s place, sometimes even at Uncle Iroh’s tea shop. Through the years Sokka had started being affectionate in other places too. Zuko had slowly grown comfortable with that.

That evening, while sitting on the couch totally exhausted, they may or may not have had their hands purposely lying next to each other. They didn’t touch, but being close was enough. For the time being.

That night Sokka slept on his mattress on the floor. They still had to put together the whole bed, but they were just too exhausted. Zuko had told him he wasn't too exhausted to help with the bed, but Sokka said it was fine, as long as he had a mattress it didn’t matter.

Zuko had offered to share his bed, it would hardly have been the first time, but Sokka had refused. He didn’t want to bother him, he said. Zuko knew he just wanted to be alone for a bit and so he dropped it.

They hugged each other good night and everything was alright. For a moment.

Later though, Zuko left his room to go pee and when he walked back he heard a sniffle.

Sokka was lying on his side, and listening to the song his mom used to sing. He was making himself sad again.

Zuko listened at the door and distinctly heard soft sounds of crying. His heart sank. This was supposed to be a good day, but instead, he got a confrontation with memories he was trying to move on from. Memories he missed more than anything but could never experience again.

He carefully opened the door and peeked inside. He was on his side, facing away, his knees up and a hand covering his mouth as he tried to stifle his sobs. Zuko’s heart shattered at the sight.

“Sokka.” He whispered. No response. “Sokka?” He asked a little louder. He watched as Sokka froze.

“Go away. Please.” He didn’t look at him. He couldn't.

Zuko closed the door behind himself, but he didn’t go away. He walked over to him and got down on the mattress. He laid down next to him, on top of the blanket, and it startled Sokka.

“Shh. It’s me.” He whispered, a hand on his arm. It was unhelpful, as it could’ve only been him, but it still calmed Sokka down a little bit. Zuko wrapped an arm around him and laid down against his back. He held him tight as Sokka sobbed, a little louder this time, not having to hide it anymore. Zuko pressed closer with every sob. He nuzzled his nose into his hair. He pressed small kisses behind his ear. Anything to try to comfort him.

When the song had come to an end once again Sokka turned it off and put his phone away. He slowly turned around to face him, Zuko’s arm stayed around him.

“You don’t have to stop. If you want to keep listening that’s okay. I’ll just be here.”

Sokka had almost kissed him on the spot. He was so caring. Zuko cared so damn deeply that sometimes it felt like it was too much. Instead of kissing him, he smiled sadly and pressed their foreheads together.

“No, it’s okay.”

He moved to hug him back and slowly relaxed in his embrace.

“Are you staying here?” He asked after several minutes of them lying there awake.

Zuko just hummed in reply. He definitely wasn’t going anywhere tonight. Not unless Sokka kicked him out with a good reason… and crying on your own is not a good reason. They would cry together.

“Are you sure?” Sokka asked quietly.

“Either I sleep here or we sleep together in my bed,” Zuko stated, a hand running through Sokka’s hair. “I’ve got a feeling you’d rather not move, though.”

Sokka closed his eyes and nodded with a small smile.

A moment later he pulled on the blanket and gave him a look.

“Get under.” He said, because Zuko wasn’t going to do it himself. He would have slept on the blankets the whole night if Sokka hadn’t said anything.

Zuko got up and moved the blankets aside before getting back in. Sokka moved the blanket back over him and tucked him in. Zuko softly laughed at him, before wrapping him in another hug. They slept like that the whole night. It was too warm, but that didn’t matter. The closeness was what mattered.

Two years later the two of them still hadn’t gotten together. They were staring at each other though, both remembering that day. Both remembering that they almost kissed on day one. Day one of living together. Year four of being friends.

Judging by the look on the other’s face, they could both see what they were thinking about. Both blushing and embarrassed, yet thoughtful. Was it a bad thing that they still hadn’t gotten together? Did it mean that the other definitely didn’t feel the same way? At least they kissed that morning…

They ate their fries in silence for a while.

Until Kiyi decided she really didn’t like the silence and she launched right into a rambling story about a book she read with Ursa. Both the young men were thankful for that. They could use the distraction.


	3. The first evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally discuss wanting to be dads and Kiyi takes advantage of that and embarrasses them both.

When all was done and eaten Sokka cleaned up and Zuko turned on Netflix for something else to watch. It wasn’t the best thing to watch so much tv with the kid, but both adults were exhausted. They were hoping that staring at a screen would help Kiyi’s body to realise how tired it was. Maybe they could all have an early night that day.

Zuko grabbed the remote and settled in on the couch. Kiyi cuddled up to him and looked up with big, regretfully energetic, eyes.

“What do you want to watch, sweetie?” He asked with a warm smile.

“Mermaids!” She exclaimed after several minutes of thinking with furrowed brows. Zuko and Sokka had looked at each other with a quiet chuckle. She looked like she was trying to make the most important decision in her life.

“The little mermaid?” Zuko asked just to check.

“Yessss!” She cuddled close to him again and when Sokka sat down next to them she reached out her hand for him to hold.

They watched it together and about halfway through Sokka remembered a conversation he had had with Zuko about the little mermaid’s story. He had been thinking about it for a couple of minutes now.. about how the writer was a gay man and the story resembled his love… and then he remembered telling Zuko about that and them talking about it for hours about love and queerness and happy endings.

Zuko hadn’t believed a happy ending was as possible now as Sokka had claimed. He had given him a list of, rather depressing, reasons why and Sokka had just shrugged them off and told Zuko about the good sides of things. Like living together, and domesticity and secret kisses in public and they could get married now and maybe even have kids now and they could live a life now. Sure things could be tough from time to time but that’s life for everyone. Sokka and his damn positivity... He firmly believed they could have a happy ending. He also liked to believe he changed Zuko’s mind that day. _He was right._

In that moment Zuko was thinking about that happy ending. A happy ending with _him_ no less. Being married… having a kid… secret kisses under a tree in the park as they watch their daughter play…

He wasn’t sure why he imagined them having a daughter. Maybe it was because of Kiyi, or maybe because of a gut feeling. He knew Sokka would like to have a girl. He loved putting Kiyi in dresses, and braiding her hair, and doing her make-up and nails. He found himself hoping for a daughter who actually wanted things like that. It would break Sokka’s heart a little if he couldn’t do that. Of course, if they had a son who liked his hair braided or his nails painted in cute colours, they would do that too.

He had to shake himself out of the thought. He couldn’t waste his time thinking about a future he probably wouldn’t have.

When he got back to reality he found Sokka staring back at him. “What are you thinking about? He asked quietly, a smile on his lips.

“Having kids.” He admitted.

The smile Sokka gave him was so warm and sweet Zuko felt like he was melting.

“You’re gonna be a great dad,” Sokka said with a hand on his shoulder. Zuko placed his own hand on top.

“So are you.” _to our babies hopefully._

“Are you having babies?!” Kiyi piped up all excited.

Zuko laughed awkwardly. “No, sweetie that’s uhh.. quite impossible.” He ran his free hand over her hair.

“Why?” She asked with big eyes.

“…because… y-you… need a mommy.” He never thought about having to explain that to a 5-year-old. He hoped their mother had at least explained to her that babies grow inside a mommy’s belly.

“Is there no mommy?” She asked sadly.

Zuko caressed her cheek. “Sweetie, do you remember that I told you I’m gay?” He asked so quietly he felt Sokka hold onto his shoulder a little tighter.

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember what that means?”

Kiyi nodded. “That you love Sokka.”

Zuko almost choked on his breath. “Boys! I like boys. It means I love _boys_. Just. Boys. All boys. Any boys. J-just… just boys.” He swallowed heavily. He couldn’t look Sokka in the eye, but if he had he would’ve seen his amused and love-filled gaze. It might have been for the better though, because if he had locked eyes with him, looking all nervous himself, Sokka would have kissed him on the spot.

But he didn’t. Instead, Sokka just longed for him in silence.

“Yeah.” Kiyi agreed. “Sokka is a boy.”

Zuko swallowed again and finally looked up at Sokka with an expression of, help.

“Yeah Zuko, I _am_ a boy.” Sokka teased, feeling a desperate need to see the young man blush.

Very helpful.

Zuko shot him an annoyed look and with the hand that was still on top of Sokka’s he pinched him.

“Hey..!” Sokka yelped. “I put my hand there all lovingly and you just pinch me? How dare you.” He yelped dramatically.

“Oh shut up. I looked at you for help and you just made it worse.” He bit back with a small smile.

“You know I can’t resist a chance to tease.” He put his hand back and then pulled him into a hug. Kiyi was squished in between them, but she just put her little arms around Sokka and joined in the hug.

Sokka was actually going to pull him in to just kiss him anyway, but he had changed his mind at the last moment.

“So why can’t you and Sokka have babies?” The little girl asked when she was freed again.

Both boys blushed at that. They sure did want to have babies together, at least one, but that was a bit more difficult.

“Because we need a mommy. The baby grows inside the mommy’s belly. Sokka and I can’t do that.”

Her eyes grew wide and shiny with tears. Her lip quivered and she reached up to put one of her little hands on his cheek. “So, you can’t have babies?”

Zuko had to press his own lips together tightly, to keep himself from getting emotional too. Sokka bit his lower lip when it started to quiver too. They wanted babies so badly, and if they couldn’t make it happen one way or another, they would be just as sad as Kiyi had just sounded.

“We can, sweetie,” Zuko said as he placed both his hands on her waist, ready to pull her into a hug. “It’s just a little bit tougher… We can adopt… Or we can… find a mommy.. who wants to grow a baby for us.”

She sniffled as she looked at him. “Really? So I can still be an auntie one day?”

Zuko closed his eyes with a smile, a tear slipping out nonetheless. “Yes, sweetie. You’ll still be an auntie one day.”

Kiyi, the cutie she is, wiped Zuko’s tear away with a sad face. Zuko pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

When he backed off he looked at Sokka, who still had tears in his eyes.

Sokka smiled sadly. “We’ll have kids one day…” He blushed slightly as he realised it sounded like they’d have kids together. He wanted that, but he didn’t want it to sound like that.

“…both of us. I know it.” He added quickly with a nod, he could feel it in his guts. _Together, hopefully_ … but he wasn’t going to mention that. That would be… terrifying. Even after Zuko had just answered Kiyi’s questions seriously as if they were in fact together.

Zuko chuckled softly. “You could still fall for a woman…”

Sokka looked him in the eye with _so much_ love and certainty when he answered, “I doubt it.” It was almost a dead giveaway.

The intensity of Sokka’s gaze, combined with those words sent shivers down the older boy’s spine. He swallowed heavily and couldn’t seem to rip himself away from those eyes.

“Oh okay…” He uttered lightly when he finally found it in himself to look away.

Kiyi was looking back and forth between the two of them. A frown on her face. “What do you mean? Fall for a woman?”

“Sokka is bisexual, he likes guys and well, everyone else,” Zuko explained calmly.

“But… he loves you…” She started to get sad again. She looked at Sokka as she continued. “don’t you..?”

Sokka felt so bad. He never wanted her to be sad. He moved closer to touch her lovingly, but Kiyi moved away. Both boys reacted surprised. Sokka opened his arms to her and looked at her pleadingly. “Come here, sweetie.”

She reluctantly moved over and Sokka pulled her into his arms, pressing himself against Zuko too.

“I do love Zuko… but… we’re not dating. We’re not together like your mommy and daddy are.”

She blinked at him, deep in thought.

“Do you want to be?”

 _Shit_. Of all the questions she could have asked… Of all the answers she could have given… This was the worst one.

They sat there in silence. Neither wanting to give an answer to the question. Zuko sitting there, looking at him, desperately wanting to know Sokka’s answer.

Thankfully, like the movie knew the situation they were in, Kiyi’s favourite song started playing. Zuko quickly moved to turn up the volume, and bang, she was distracted. Thank.. well, _everything_ that is good.

Before he could turn back to face Sokka he had already walked off. The second Kiyi realised it was her favourite song she had jumped off him and started dancing. As much as Sokka wanted to see the cuteness, he just had to walk away.

He wasn’t sure what he would’ve said if she had pressed on like usual. He wasn’t sure if he would’ve spilled his guts and ruined their friendship or if he would’ve lied and maybe also ruined their friendship. That was just not a question she was allowed to ask. Ever again.

He looked at himself in the mirror, he looked lighter than he should. His panic had drained all the blood from his face. He stared at himself. His features, his hair, his shape. Was he really as pretty as people told him? More importantly, was he anything like Zuko's type? Zuko would probably tell him he was being ridiculous… Of course, he was pretty! He didn’t want to think about Zuko though, he wanted to think about _anything_ else. He closed his eyes and tried his best to distract himself.

When he took too long in the bathroom Zuko went to go check on him. As much as his head was totally overthinking the fact that he had walked away after that important question, he still wanted him to be alright. He knocked on the door. “Sokka? Are you okay?”

The door moved open a little bit. He hadn’t closed the door, completely out of habit. He peeked in and looked at him in the mirror.

“You look terrible.”

Sokka laughed. “Thanks.”

“No, I mean you look sick.” Zuko tried to explain himself. He never wanted Sokka to think he thought he looked anything but gorgeous.

“Yeah, not feeling so good.”

“Are you _that_ upset from the thought of us dating?” Zuko teased. He knew it was kind of mean. If it was the truth the joke would probably hurt a little bit. But then again, Sokka had done the same to him just a few minutes ago.

Sokka scoffed but didn’t reply.

“Is the thought of us dating really that appalling to you?” That wasn’t quite a joke anymore. He was scared, to be honest, that Sokka was absolutely appalled by the idea.

“Never!” Sokka said instantly.

“Oh.”

Zuko turned to walk away, but Sokka had realised his mistake as he was still saying it.

“I mean, I would never be appalled by it!” He quickly exclaimed.

Zuko paused.

“Zuko, you are my best friend. Of course, I’m not appalled by it. I think I just ate something wrong. It might have been the burger, it didn’t taste right.”

To this Zuko was instantly both relieved and worried.

“Are you okay? Do we need to call a doctor?”

Sokka laughed with a closed smile. “No, Zuk, I’m okay.” He pulled him into a hug. “Don’t you worry about me. I’m just not feeling that great, I’m not throwing up or anything.”

Zuko backed off and nodded at him. “You tell me if things get worse, okay?”

Sokka nodded with closed eyes. He felt bad for lying, but he also felt like he didn’t have another choice. He did feel very tired though, and he really didn’t know if he could handle more of Kiyi talking about their relationship as if they were already together. Plus they had another busy day with Kiyi ahead.

“I think I might actually go to bed soon, if that’s okay with you?”

“Yes, Sokka, of course!”

“Just let me say good night to Kiyi.”

They both stepped in the direction of Kiyi, their hands lingering on the other. They stopped when they found Kiyi dancing in front of the tv, and singing into the remote in her little hand.

Their hands stayed on each other as they watched with a warm heart.

“How did you get such a cute little sister?” Sokka asked with a smirk. “You’re not cute at all.”

“It’s because she’s half Noren and I’m half abusive piece of-”

“Hey..!” Sokka cut him off gently. “I was expecting you to say something like, that’s a lie and you know it. I didn’t mean for you to go spiraling.”

Zuko blinked at him silently. He definitely wasn’t expecting that. It did, thankfully, immediately pull him from his negative thoughts.

“I… I’m not…” _cute._

“Well, it _is_ a lie and I _do_ know it,” Sokka promised him. He didn’t want him to feel awkward about it, or bad about not being cute, cause he was cute..! He _is_ cute!

To not let himself get awkward he stepped away from his touch and then made his way over to the little girl.

“Hey sweetie, I’m gonna go to bed now.”

“No! Soso stay..!”

“ _Soso_ isn’t feeling well, sweetie, he has to get some rest,” Zuko explained from where he was still standing. He said Sokka’s nickname in a teasing way because it was honestly the cutest nickname he could possibly think of and he loved to use it just to see Sokka blush.

Sokka kissed Kiyi good night and she hugged him tightly. He laughed at how clingy she was and how much she clearly loved him, his heart the size of their apartment building.

He walked back over to Zuko and hugged him one last time for the day.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Soso?” He whispered through gritted teeth but with a glisten in his eyes so bright it almost blinded Zuko.

“At least once more, Miss Swann. As Always.” Zuko teased.

Sokka gasped loudly. “Are you quoting Pirates of the Caribbean at me?”

He didn’t realise it was a romantic moment he had quoted until later in bed. He blushed so badly he kept touching his fingers to his face to check if it wasn’t actually on fire.

He spent the next two hours listening to Kiyi loudly singing with the movie and then singing on her own after the movie had ended. At the same time, he was texting Katara everything that had happened that day. Well, except for the kiss. He’d tell her about that later.

Except later turned out to be about 30 minutes later when Katara kept pressing about this “certain thing” that happened that morning. She said she couldn’t make sense of the situation if she didn’t know what had happened and though he knew she was full of shit, he still told her.

He was lying there with the biggest grin on his face as he got like 20 separate replies from her within seconds.

> **Katara: 10:32pm** Oh!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** My!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** God!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Sokka!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Finally!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Did you kiss him again?!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Did you tell him you love him?!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** wait
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Tongue?!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Gross Sokka!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Good for you though!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** I’m happy for you!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** I can’t believe you finally kissed him..!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** wait
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** What do you mean it was an accident?
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** How do you accidentally kiss someone?
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** How did Zuko /accidentally/ stick his tongue in your mouth?
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Ew I don’t wanna think about that never-mind
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** don’t answer that
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** but you kissed!!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Fucking Finally Sokka!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** Yess!!!
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
> 
> **Katara: 10:32pm** When are we celebrating??

Sokka was grinning so big his cheeks started hurting.

Zuko was trying his damn best to get his little sister to stop singing as it was late, but she refused.

“Kiyi..! Sokka is trying to sleep..! He’s not feeling well, we need to let him sleep.”

“It’s okay, Zuko..!” Sokka called out at them.

“You need your rest.”

“I’m lying down. I’m resting.”

“So you’re saying you could’ve stayed here this whole time?”

“Aw, Zuzu, are you saying you missed me?”

Zuko scoffed loudly. Dramatically.

“Of course baby, you know I can’t stand being away from you for even a second..!” He said in a dramatically loving tone.

_Baby_

For a moment Sokka didn’t have an answer for him. His mind was too stuck on being called _baby_. Albeit jokingly.. still _his_ voice said baby. It rolled off _his_ lips, like it was nothing. Zuko didn’t say things like that like they were nothing.

He decided to join him in the game. Just so he could call him baby back.

“You’re right baby, I do know that you are absolutely infatuated with me. I can’t believe you didn’t lie down here with me to cuddle.”

Zuko laughed genuinely. “We have cuddled for real plenty of times, you’re just missing out on this one time.”

“I meant you wanted it.”

“Oh but I know you said it because _you_ want it.”

They both took a moment to think about how much they loved the other and these teasing jokes back and forth. They were not just fun, they were also a way to let out how they felt or how they wished the other felt.

“I’m gonna sleep for real now.” Sokka decided to say.

“Ah, we’re changing the subject. Well alright, I know what that means. Good night, my love!”

Sokka breathed in deeply at the sound of Zuko’s voice using another pet name for him. He closed his eyes and tried to savour it.

“Good night, baby.” He said back casually. Too casually. It was like he meant it, Zuko thought.

Zuko spent a while getting Kiyi into PJs and brushing her teeth and everything and then they got into his bedroom where she was supposed to sleep on the foldy mattress chair thing Zuko could never remember the name of.

“Can I sleep in your bed?”

Zuko sighed, trying to decide if he could sleep properly on that chair thing.

“With you, I mean.” She pleaded.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Yesssss.” She pumped the air with her little fist. It was adorable.

She spent half the evening, loudly, bothering him about loving Sokka.

“Kiyi, will you please go to bed.”

“You need to sleep, Kiyi.”

“YEs I love him, now please go sleep.”

Sokka was tired, but it still charmed him to hear it all. Zuko didn’t once lose his patience with her. He was always like that with kids. All the patience in the world. But if an adult messed up..! Oh, they’d hear about it alright. He wasn’t like that to him though, Sokka realised. It was nice.

“Will you kiss him again?” He heard her ask him happily. Zuko groaned. “What? You looked like you liked it.” Sokka blushed to himself, so he had liked it too, huh? Maybe she was onto something.

Zuko groaned again, embarrassment clear in his voice. “Kiyi, you are keeping both of us up, please lie down again and sleep.”

“Will you hold me?”

“Yes, I’ll hold you. Come here.” He sounded tired.

Sokka secretly wished he could see them like that. He considered staying awake and creeping over to his room in 30 minutes, but his head didn’t allow him the option. He was out the second she went quiet.


	4. The breakfast shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko is more affectionate than he realises, and now that Sokka (finally) thinks that maybe Zuko likes him back he becomes a little bit more of a flirt. Just to figure out if his hunch is correct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been writing like crazy so I may have to add more chapters to this, whoops! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a fun one!

In the morning, he woke up before they did. He carefully opened the door to Zuko’s bedroom and peeked inside. They were both asleep, their arms still around each other. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. He subconsciously held his heart at the sight. If he secretly took a shitty photo of the pair, well who could blame him.

And if a moment later he sent the photo to Katara with about 20 heart-eye emojis, well… the guy was in love. It didn’t help that Katara texted back almost immediately, saying - _Omg cute!-_ followed by - _Will you just tell him you love him, please Sokka_.-

_-I’m working on it!-_

He texted back before rubbing his face with a sigh. He was _mentally_ working on it.

He went into the kitchen to make the three of them breakfast. When he had everything ready to be tossed in the pan he checked the time. Almost 9 am. He tossed the bacon in the hot pan, it would need a few minutes, before leaving the kitchen to put on a shirt. If Zuko found him cooking bacon without a shirt on again... He’d probably kick him out on the spot.

He walked over to the other room and quietly opened the door. Zuko was awake, but Sokka hadn’t seen that. And so he quietly made his way into the room and placed a hand on Zuko’s arm. His thumb rubbed small circles on his cooled skin. Sokka’s hand felt warm and Zuko had to suppress a shiver.

“Hey.” He whispered, not moving from his position.

“Hey you,” Sokka whispered back.

“I smell food.” Zuko kissed Kiyi’s head.

“Yeah, I’m making breakfast. It’s almost 9 am.”

Zuko’s eyes opened wide. “Oh. Cra……ckers… that’s late.” For someone who always got up around sunrise, this was a very late morning. He didn’t mind though, Kiyi was warm in his arms and he loved that.

“Nice safe.” Sokka chuckled. Kiyi was waking up too so it was a good thing he didn’t wake her up with a curse word.

As soon as she saw Sokka she beamed at him. “Morning Soso.” Sokka smiled at her. He was about to say it back but Kiyi moved up to face him. She pursed her lips at him. “Kiss.” She demanded simply. Sokka laughed warmly and leant down to give her a quick kiss. He ran a hand through her bedhead. It was all over the place and absolutely adorable.

Both of the men found themselves stuck in the moment, wishing to be a father. Once again wishing to have a kid with the other man.

Sokka couldn’t help himself when he kissed Zuko’s temple right after. Their faces had been close anyway. And well, he had been feeling an overwhelming amount of love in the moment, so who could blame him. The idea of being with Zuko and having a kid and having mornings like this on a regular… _Oof_. He had to stop himself from thinking about it. He was too hopeful. Except then he saw the blush on Zuko’s face after that kiss and his butterflies went wild.

Zuko was blushing… interesting…

For a moment he considered asking Kiyi to get him something on the other side of the apartment so he could take her place in Zuko’s arms. Maybe he’d kiss him for real. Maybe tell him he wanted kids with him. Except that would all be too much, and he would never dare anyway.

“Well, my darlings, breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes.” He said with a smile. He tried to innocently check on Zuko’s reaction. Zuko couldn’t look him in the eye. His blush had worsened, and he had a smile tugging on the edge of his lips. Sokka wanted to kiss it.

He quickly left the room before he did something stupid and went to check on the bacon and chuck the eggs into another pan. Once the bacon was ready he put it on a plate, covered it, and then put the pancake batter in the pan with the bacon grease. It was his secret to delicious savory pancakes that just tasted even better with the sweetness of maple syrup.

“Naked child running around!” Zuko called into the apartment. He had been giving her a quick shower and tried to get her dressed but she preferred to just run around naked instead. Sokka remembered being young and running around naked and then being scooped up in warm blankets by his mother. It wasn’t exactly a good idea to walk around naked in the cold...

The second Kiyi ran into the kitchen Sokka picked her up. “Noooooh.” He said dramatically. “Kitchens are not for naked children. That is dangerous.”

“But I wanna taste the bacon!” Kiyi whined, thrashing in his arms. Sokka walked her to the couch and Zuko tossed some clothes at them. “You know how Zuzu feels about you getting close to hot grease,” Sokka said seriously. “Besides, the bacon is still too hot to eat. Leg.” Kiyi raised a leg and Sokka started putting on her clothes. “Did you clean her?” He asked Zuko without looking up.

“Yup, she’s all clean and ready for her outfit of the day.” It was a sparkly dress.

Kiyi pouted dramatically. “but I don’t wanna wear clothes.”

Zuko laughed warmly at her but waited for Sokka to say something. Sokka looked up at her when he finished putting on her tiny sparkly underpants. “No clothes means no bacon.”

Kiyi’s eyes went wide and she immediately stuck her leg in the air again, ready for the tights. Sokka hoisted her in her tights and Zuko leant against the counter looking at the pair with so much love in his heart. Good grief he really wanted to have kids with Sokka. He almost walked over to tell him that and then maybe kiss him on the lips for good measure. Almost. Oh, how he wanted to. His heart hurt at the thought of not being able to do it.

“Jump jump jump!” Sokka told his little sister with a laugh. Kiyi held on to his shoulders and giggled loudly as she jumped. Sokka pulled the tights up with a soft giggle of his own, and Zuko died a little at the sound.

Why did he have to be so cute? Why was that allowed to be in his life? It was so unfair to have that right in front of him without being able to _actually_ have it for himself. It was so unfair of the universe to make him want the man who was always around him, always being cute and smart and funny. He tried not to think about how long it had been. He had been in love with him for years… how he had survived all those years, he had no idea.

He watched as Sokka pulled her dress on over her head and then turned her around to close it up.

“Wow Kiyi, that is a beautiful dress!” Sokka said with a big smile. Kiyi beamed at him and stepped away to twirl for him.

If Zuko secretly took a photo of the pair, or maybe 30… well who could blame him… And if a moment later he sent a video to his mother with about 20 heart-eye emojis, well… the guy was in love.

Sokka clasped a hand over his heart. “Gorgeous, sweetie! I love the glitters!”

Kiyi, ever so dramatic, picked up two parts of her dress with her pinkies in the air, and bowed to him. “Thank you, sir.”

Sokka opened his arms and she leapt into them to hug him as tight as she could. Kiyi loved Sokka so much. It had to be a sign, Zuko thought. It had to mean that Sokka would be a great father to his kids.

“Now go apologise to your brother.” He told her softly.

“You apologise to your boyfriend.”

“What? I have nothing to apologise for..!” He said fake-offended. “Nor do I have a boyfriend.” He silently mouthed the word, _yet_ , and then winked at her. She giggled and clapped her hands together excitedly. Sokka wasn’t sure if she even knew what that meant, but she was excited for him anyway. “Now go apologise.” He said as he turned the two of them around to face Zuko.

Kiyi looked at him with big sad eyes. “Sorry I got too close to the stove.”

Zuko subconsciously rubbed his hand over his scar but smiled warmly at her. “It’s okay, Kiyi. Thank you for apologising.”

She ran over to him and jumped into his arms. He was just on time to catch her. He laughed as he hugged her and Sokka couldn’t help the big grin that formed on his face. It was just too cute okay. It made him wish he had his phone on him so he could capture the moment. He was definitely texting Ursa about that later. (And Ursa was definitely rolling her eyes at those ridiculous young men later)

He suddenly remembered their food and ran back to the stove. He sighed in relief when everything was fine. Zuko had been stirring the eggs and flipped over the pancakes while he was dressing Kiyi.

The little girl started playing with her toys when she was done hugging her big brother, and Zuko turned to gaze at Sokka as he cooked.

Sokka saw him in the corner of his eye after a few minutes and he couldn’t stop the blush from forming on his skin.

Zuko moved from leaning onto the island counter to standing right behind Sokka. His arms snaking around his waist and his head resting on his shoulder. They had stood like that before, but after yesterday.. it felt different. It had always been a great intimate moment between the two of them, but it had always felt platonic…. this, however…. no longer felt that way.

“Happy anniversary,” Sokka said with a chuckle. It felt so odd to say that. He really wanted it to be the anniversary of them getting together too. Since they had almost kissed that day... it wasn’t an unusual thought… but it was untrue.

“Hm?” Zuko mumbled sleepily. “Oh right. Happy anniversary.”

Sokka could feel Zuko’s lips against his neck. He wasn’t kissing him or anything, just leaning, but little did he know that Zuko was only doing that because he desperately wanted to kiss him anyway. This was the only way he could stop himself from just doing it.

Regretfully, he had to move away not much later as he couldn’t breathe from that position. He breathed in deeply when he could. “It smells so good.”

“That’s just me you’re smelling.” Sokka teased gently.

Zuko smirked and pressed his nose into his neck again and smelled dramatically, before letting out a fake cough. “Yeah no, that’s definitely not you.” He smelled amazing, actually. His regular sand and salt smell. Zuko wasn’t sure how he did it. He always just smelled scorched. Like the scar on his face was still burning.

Sokka hit him in the face with the spatula.

“Hey..!” Zuko exclaimed. “I thought you were gonna feed me, not hit me with kitchen utensils.”

Sokka jokingly kissed his cheek and that shut Zuko up. Sokka was very pleased about that. He could feel the heat from Zuko’s cheek in his neck. He took the pancakes out of the pan and filled it with new batter, before putting salt and pepper on the eggs and grabbing a fork. He held the fork with a piece of egg on it in front of Zuko’s face, who gladly took the bite.

“Good?”

Zuko hummed enthusiastically, tightening his grip around his waist. “Perfect.”

Sokka chuckled. “You’re cheesy.”

“Well, then you’re eggy,” Zuko said as he held on even tighter.

“That doesn’t even mean anything.”

“I stand by what I said.” _It means you’re perfect._

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll be eggy. Cheese and egg go good together, right?”

Zuko may have frozen at that a little bit. “Yeah.” He agreed quietly. Were they still talking about the same thing?

A few minutes passed where neither of them said anything. They were both lost in thought until Kiyi started quietly singing a song while she was playing.

Sokka chuckled softly. “She’s so cute.”

“Yeah.” Zuko agreed quietly.

“Makes you wanna have kids.”

“Yeah.” He agreed even quieter. _With you, baby_. I want kids with you. He thought. He wasn’t about to tell him that though.

Sokka was thinking the same thing, but he didn’t tell him that either. He turned the stove off and turned his body to face Zuko a little more. He moved his arms to wrap around his shoulders and hugged him. Just because he could. Zuko gladly hugged back.

When he backed away they were gazing at each other in such a way that Kiyi stayed silent when she looked at them. Until, of course, she felt the need to tease them.

“Are you gonna kiss?”

Both men blushed and hurried away from each other. _That was the plan..!_

“Uhhh.. breakfast is ready,” Sokka said instead of answering her. Zuko turned around and grabbed extra plates and sat them down on the counter.

“Do you wanna eat here, or at the low table?” He asked his little sister, hoping it would distract her.

“Here, at the counter!”

Thankfully it worked.

Zuko placed the plates in front of each of their barstools and then grabbed two glasses and a plastic cup. He filled the glasses with water and the cup with whatever special concoction his mother had given them for Kiyi.

It was a tight fit, three barstools at their little island counter, but it just looked better than two Sokka had said. It worked fine if the third one sitting with them was a toddler, but sometimes Katara would force herself next to them and that would just result in arms touching... Which wasn’t always great for Zuko as he tried not to show Katara he was in love with her brother.

What Zuko didn’t know, though, was that Katara always did that on purpose. Sokka wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or more annoyed.

They moved around each other with grace. They knew their roles well. Both of them had done this together a hundred times. Basically, every single morning that they did get to have breakfast together, and every single evening for their shared dinners too.

Sokka handled the food, and Zuko the tableware and the drinks. Sokka was definitely the better cook of the two, and thankfully he enjoyed cooking all the time so that was a win on Zuko’s behalf because ever since… well, the event.. with his father.. and the hot grease… he didn’t dare to cook.

It had taken him a long time to even be okay with being in a kitchen again. Especially with the stove on… but Sokka had been an angel and had turned it all into a game and a joke. A little teasing back and forth… a little singing into a wooden spoon, handing their ‘microphone’ to each other… a little dancing with hands on hips or Zuko on the counter and Sokka between his legs, swaying from side to side… a little taste test with a hand under a spoon or a thumb brushing away some sauce… a little hug request because, _really_ Zuko, _food just tastes better when you’ve been hugged._

Zuko would always roll his eyes, but he could never hide his smile. He would always hug him. Sokka made sure of that. It hadn’t dawned down on Zuko that the hugs were for him, so that he could feel comfortable, until it had been a pathetic 7 months.

He was a dumbass. When he had told Sokka that he realised why he did that Sokka had laughed at him so adoringly it shook his world. That was the moment he realised his crush was _well_ beyond being a crush. He was head over god damn heels for the guy. Really, he should have realised it sooner, like years sooner, but he really was just a dumbass.

Sokka had walked up to him and hugged him tightly, and when he moved away, he kept his arms around him still. He just looked at him and had softly admitted that the hugs were a little bit for himself too. Zuko had almost kissed him on the spot. He loved him so much.

It had all been so gentle, and he had done it all in a way that was fun, and without even noticing Zuko had become more comfortable with being in a kitchen. It started out with him making toast for Sokka and himself, and slowly transformed into him being okay with using the stove as long as he didn’t need grease. No butter, no oil, no nothing.

That was 17 months ago. Sokka was so proud of him. Still is of course. They had been living together for two wonderful years of, _oh my god I am so in love with you I think it’s going to kill me one day_. Before that, when they were friends but didn’t live together, it was a wonderful four years of, _oh my god you’re so pretty and cute and strong and smart and amazing and an idiot... I think, I may, potentially, be in love with you._

So they moved around the kitchen with that trained skill. Zuko trusted Sokka completely and Sokka knew Zuko’s timing would be impeccable.

Kiyi climbed onto the middle barstool and waited with her chin on her folded hands. It was adorable.

Zuko sat down next to her when he was done, and he earned a kiss on the cheek from his little sister. He blushed at the look Sokka was giving them.

“Aw look at you two..!” Sokka said in a somewhat teasing tone. Just teasing enough for Zuko to notice, but not enough for Kiyi to notice. The perfect amount, Sokka thought.

It was always a good time to gently tease Zuko. The blushing was just too cute not to take advantage of.

He quickly slid a bunch of heart-shaped pancakes onto their plates. Kiyi’s had sprinkles in them. She beamed at him.

“I wanna stay here forever!” she exclaimed. Then Sokka, with the cutest smile, also gave her some scrambled eggs and then.. a buttload of bacon. Kiyi screamed. She actually _screamed_ , at the amount of bacon she was given.

Zuko and Sokka both laughed, their warm gazes on each other. He slowly turned his gaze back at his favourite toddler.

“So, am I your favourite uncle now?” Sokka had tried to get her to call him uncle Sokka, but she refused.

“Uncle? You’re my brother-in-law!” The way she had said it was adorable. She still had some issues with her Rs sometimes, but it just made her even more cute.

Zuko choked on his eggs, and Sokka smirked. “Not yet.” He said with a wink.

“What, are you planning on marrying Azula?” Zuko laughed at him.

Sokka looked him dead in the eye and then lightly answered, “Nah.” before turning around to get the maple syrup.

Zuko’s eyes were wide, his face was red and he was shoving an entire pancake into his mouth.

“Zuzu don’t stuff your mouth like that, that’s rude,” Kiyi said shamingly.

Sokka purposely walked the long way round, just to be able to walk past Zuko and whisper. “Yeah Zuzu, that’s rude.” He looked him up and down as he said it. Zuko avoided his eyes like he was being paid for it. And so, Sokka walked past behind him, sliding his hand past his shoulders, drawing a little loop in his neck as he went, and then innocently sat down on his barstool.

He smirked at himself before eating without saying another word.

Zuko wasn’t sure how to feel. He loved Sokka flirting with him, it made him feel all kinds of things, but this outright implying he wanted to marry him? This was a whole new level. A level he wasn’t sure he liked. He was still _convinced_ Sokka didn’t feel the same way. He believed firmly that Sokka was just playing with him for the hell of it. Except his gaze had been so genuine… His touch had felt so nice… His lips had looked so kissable…

He felt more conflicted than ever before. He wanted exactly this so badly it hurt sometimes… but he also wanted it to be real… and this? This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

The silence weighed heavily on his shoulders as he started sulking about how fake things were. How Sokka didn’t mean his flirts. How Sokka didn’t love him the way he wanted him to. The way he _needed_ him to…

Thankfully for Zuko, Kiyi had plenty of things to tell them about, so it wasn’t quiet for long.

Except that one of the things she had to say, several minutes into her rambling, was uhh… not exactly something Zuko wanted to talk about right now….

“Oh and!!! I had a dream about you! you were holding hands and in a suit and laughing and kissing and joking..!” She explained enthusiastically.

Kissing huh? Was this kid’s obsession with people kissing already starting? Sokka knew all kids went through that at some point, but wow... Sure she was helping him see that maybe Zuko liked him back, but… it was becoming a bit much.

“That’s great, sweetie,” Sokka said before taking another bite of his food. He didn’t want to seem disinterested.

“Oh, and there was a unicorn! and I love unicorns so I ran after the unicorn and it just kept running!”

Sokka tried to look Zuko in the eyes and share his amusement, but Zuko avoided his gaze. _Well shit._ He’d gone too far, hadn't he?

Kiyi rambled on about unicorns and chasing them and then there were more and she couldn’t pick a favourite, and honestly where did this kid get it from? Did 5-year-olds always have an imagination that wild? They should take her out to a museum next time. One of those hands-on kids museums. She would love that.

Zuko put his hand on her back when she was done with her story. He laughed warmly, but then warned her not to follow any unicorns if she sees them in real life.

Sokka took the opportunity to place his hand partially over Zuko’s. Who moved his hand away, but Sokka moved back over. Their fingertips were the only things touching, but Sokka just moved his fingers in between Zuko’s and then with one single finger, caressed over one of his. It was so tender Zuko shuddered and pulled his hand away.

Kiyi didn’t even seem to notice. Sokka smiled at her and told her not to follow regular horses that run away either. Kiyi pouted at that. Sokka ruffled her hair and kissed the side of her head.

He got up and started running warm water so they could do the dishes. Zuko was reluctant, but they always did this together too and so he got up and put his and Kiyi’s plate in the sink. He walked back to Kiyi and lifted her off of her barstool and she happily wobbled back over to her toys. He handed him the glasses too, and then wiped down the counter, before standing next to him and drying off the first plate.

As they did the dishes Zuko and Sokka weren’t talking like they usually did and Sokka hated it. So did Zuko, but he wasn’t about to mention that he was grumpy because of Sokka’s fake flirts. And so it was up to Sokka. He tried to think of another joke to crack, but ultimately he knew what he had to do.

He gently elbowed Zuko in his side. “I’m sorry for teasing.” He carefully looked at him through his lashes, before getting back to the plate he was washing.

Zuko smiled gently at him, but on the inside, he was hurting a little bit. He shrugged as he took the plate from him. “I’m just gonna have to tease you back someday.”

Sokka beamed at him in an instant. “Deal.”

He got back to washing the dishes but paused when Zuko put away the plate and waited for him to be done with the next. When he was he leant his head on Zuko’s shoulder, just for a moment, just to make sure Zuko knew he meant well.

Zuko leant his face into his hair and just breathed for a moment. It was like they knew they were both thinking the same thing; _you know I love you, right?_

When the moment was starting to pass Zuko reached out, grabbed a load of soap bubbles on his hand, and then carefully smacked them on Sokka’s forehead. They went flying everywhere. Sokka gasped and quickly tossed some bubbles at him and then it was on. Kiyi joined in as soon as she noticed and the three of them ran around their tiny little kitchen making an absolute mess.

They were running around in circles, soap bubbles flying everywhere. The three of them were laughing loudly as they slid around the wet, soapy floor on their soaking wet socks.

It was the best morning they had had in weeks. They were laughing and yelling and feeling like kids again.

Suddenly though, Zuko slipped on some soap and went hurtling backward. It seemed like they weren’t allowed to have some childish fun while at an adult age. They should’ve known it was irresponsible and dangerous to run around hard, pointy surfaces on a wet floor… but they didn’t realise it until it was too late.

Thankfully Sokka instantly realised Zuko was going to slam his head into the counter and he immediately reached over and put his hand on the edge. How he was able to think so fast, he didn’t know, but he was thankful that his brain had done this for him.

The impact of Zuko’s head on his hand was immensely painful, and then on his foot, a moment later was almost just as bad, but the second he had hit the floor he rushed down to him.

“Shhhhhh…nickerdoodle Zuko, are you okay?!”

Zuko laughed painfully. “Shnickerdoodle? Ow, my head..!”

Sokka helped him sit up and asked Kiyi to stay with him as he went to the bathroom to soak a towel. When he got back he sat down and carefully inspected his head. “Turn for me.” He said gently. Zuko did as he was told. Sokka moved a hand around in his hair and carefully padded around with his fingers.

“Well, there’s no blood.” He said relieved. Zuko turned back to face him. Sokka touched his face gently as he held the cold, wet towel to the back of his head. “Are you dizzy?” Zuko nodded carefully. “Nauseous?” “Nah.”

“We’ll have to keep an eye on that.”

Zuko agreed quietly.

“You want ice?”

Another quiet yes. He placed his hand on top of Sokka’s to take over the wet towel. Sokka lingered for a moment, before pulling his hand back and walking to their freezer.

He pulled out two icepacks and wrapped them in a tea-towel, before handing one to Zuko. He sat down next to him and wrapped the other around his own hand.

When Zuko had gotten his head to stop spinning he opened his eyes and noticed Sokka’s hand.

“Wait Sokka, did you..?”

Sokka looked up with a sheepish smile. He didn’t have to finish his sentence, he knew what Zuko was trying to say.

“I was wondering why the impact hadn’t felt like stone..” He carefully moved up and tried to balance the ice on his head as he reached out both his hands to examine Sokka’s swelling hand. “Did I break anything?”

“You? No, your head looks fine.”

Zuko looked up with a disapproving face, making the ice slide down his back to the ground. He shivered from the cold and then quickly placed it back. Kiyi had lost interest and had gone back to her toys. That was probably for the better. They couldn’t have her falling and injuring herself. They had been irresponsible, they knew that now. It had been fun though.

“I meant..” Zuko continued sternly. “…did I break your bones with my head?”

Sokka smiled at him. “Nah, it just hurts.”

Zuko took his hand in one of his own again, the other had to hold onto the ice on his head, he didn’t want it slipping off again, and examined it some more. “How does it feel?”

“Better now that you’re holding it.” Sokka winked at him.

“Sokka..!” Zuko exclaimed. In his disbelieve though, he had gripped his hand tightly and Sokka closed his eyes, throwing his head back against the cabinet.

“Ouch, Zuko..! Can’t believe I say something nice to you and you repay me by hurting me..!”

“What else did you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, kiss me?” Sokka closed his eyes again, preparing for the pain, but it didn’t come. He carefully opened his eyes and just watched Zuko blink at him like his brain had stopped working. It had.

“Kiyi would like it.” Sokka teased. _I would like it too. I’d love it even._

Zuko rolled his eyes and got up. He wasn’t as careful as he should have been, his head was spinning and his vision wasn’t great, but he just had to get away from him. He couldn’t handle his flirty teasing right now. He walked to the bathroom carefully and locked the door behind himself.

_Shit._ Sokka thought. He made it worse!

Zuko splashed water in his face. He felt like he was losing it. Sokka had always teased him a lot, sure, but never like this. Never this much and never this openly about _kissing_ and _marrying_..!

After spending several minutes in there having a minor breakdown, he heard a soft knock. “Hey Zuzu, Soso says he’s sorry.”

From the other side of the door, Sokka gave Kiyi a thumbs up.

“Maybe Soso should tell me that himself.”

“I’d rather look you in the eye when I do that.”

Zuko sighed before exiting the bathroom. He found Sokka and Kiyi sitting on the floor across the door. Sokka got up and hugged him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you.. I just…” He couldn’t say it. _I just actually, genuinely want you to kiss me. I just, truly, want to marry you._ He wanted to say it so badly, but as he looked him in the eye he couldn’t get the words past his lips.

“I’m sorry.” He said again when he backed off further. He quickly kissed his cheek, he just couldn’t help himself. “I love you.” That was the only thing he could say to him that didn’t give it all away. It was the only thing that Zuko knew was true. Except it was true to an extent that Zuko wouldn't ever know.

Zuko was rolling his eyes, his face once again feeling like it was on fire. He was about to pull away, but Sokka didn’t let him.

“Hey..! I’m not teasing! I’m serious.”

“Sokka we have been friends for.. how many years? Six? I know you do.”

“Good.” The look Sokka gave him was downright desperate. Like he was pleading, _please for the love of all that is good know that I love you._ Maybe if he knew that Zuko would be the one to make a move. At least, that’s what Sokka hoped.

He stared at him with that look on his face for another moment before letting his arms slump down and turning away. He carefully walked back to the kitchen, throwing a towel on the floor and wiping away the soap with his foot. He was awfully silent.

Zuko felt like maybe _he_ had done something wrong now. Although he couldn’t place what.

….then it hit him.

_Shit_. Should he have said it back? Was he supposed to say I love you too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts <3


	5. The shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka tries to take a shower but Kiyi is too obsessed with him to leave him alone. Zuko absolutely cannot stand the cuteness.

_Shit_. Should he have said it back? Was he supposed to say I love you too?

He walked back over to the kitchen and got back to drying things off. When Sokka was done cleaning the floor he moved back over to finish the dishes in silence. Well _double shit_ , they were back at the start again. Silently standing next to each other doing something that usually was fun and full of jokes and laughter.

“Should I have said it back..?” Zuko asked quietly.

“Huh?” Sokka had been too lost in his thoughts to know what he had said.

“Did you want me to say it back?”

Sokka took a step back when he realised what Zuko was talking about. He didn’t have the words to say what he was thinking.

Zuko frowned, and couldn’t look him in the eye. “You know I… do, right?”

Sokka couldn’t help the smile, or the blush creeping up his face.

“Sokka..?” Zuko needed an answer. He knew he had never said the words out loud to him. He just wasn’t really that kind of a person. He needed him to know though. “You know I… do… feel… that… Right?”

Sokka chuckled and stepped back over to him. “You can’t even say it.” He teased. He didn’t have the heart to remind him he said it yesterday. Albeit not to him, but to Kiyi, but still. He’d said it.

Zuko’s expression was pained. He always had a hard time saying it, he thought Sokka knew why.

Sokka’s arms slowly wrapped around his waist as he stood in front of him, his gaze now so worried his brows were all wrinkly. “Hey…” He whispered, trying to wake him from his thoughts. “You don’t have to say it. As you said, we’ve been friends for six years. I know you do.” Zuko closed his eyes as he let out a sigh of relief.

 _Friends_. Hah. Friends who kissed yesterday.

Sokka could still feel his lips on his own… could still taste him if he licked his lips… could still feel his hands on him, pulling him closer… could still feel his _tongue_ lick his lips… right before he pulled away…

When Zuko's eyes opened again, Sokka’s face was closer than before. Except he didn’t move in any further, as if to ask for permission first, or to ask Zuko to lean in the last bit himself if he wanted to…

…but Zuko just couldn’t take that risk. He was still convinced Sokka didn’t mean his flirting or his kisses the way he wanted him to.

“Kiss! Yay!” Kiyi suddenly squealed from a few feet away.

They instantly stepped away from each other in embarrassment. Zuko’s eyes were closed once more, his brows furrowed, his lips parted in a sigh. Sokka took one longing look at him before running over to Kiyi with his hands out.

“I’ll give _you_ kisses!!!”

Kiyi ran away shrieking so loudly Zuko thought the neighbours were going to complain about the noise. He couldn’t get himself to care though, cause watching the two of them running around the house, Sokka making kissing noises at her, was so adorable he never wanted it to stop. It instantly lifted the weight of the moment.

He silently dried the last things Sokka had cleaned as he looked at them with awe. He _wanted_ to kiss him, he wanted to so badly, but after yesterday… he just couldn’t. He didn’t want to lose his best friend. He loved where they were in life right now. His job was shit, but his friends were great and his best friend even greater. Plus Sokka was so caring and affectionate and he helped him through his struggles and he liked to think he helped Sokka through his own as well. He did.

He loved living with him and going places with him on weekends and staying in to watch a movie and getting groceries together or _forgetting_ groceries together because they had been too busy gaming or watching a show or just simply talking, and then going out for dinner together… It was perfect. He didn’t want to lose that.

Except looking at things like these also hurt. It hurt _so much_ but, weirdly enough, it hurt in such a good way. He just looked at Sokka being amazing with Kiyi and his heart would just ache with a desire to marry him and have kids with him. But how could he ever get there if he didn’t even dare to be honest about how he felt?

He closed his eyes at the thought. That was one that hurt in a bad way. _One day._ He kept telling himself. _One day I’ll make a move. One day I’ll be sure about his feelings. One day I’ll have what I want._

_I hope…_

When Sokka finally caught her Zuko opened his eyes to gaze at the two of them again. His heart instantly swelling again. He was filled with love once more.

Sokka lifted her up in the air and kissed her all over her face. “Hahah! Sweet Revenge!” He exclaimed dramatically.

She happily giggled away.

Sokka made the mistake of looking up at Zuko. The moment they locked eyes it felt… different. Sokka felt himself yearn for him so strongly he had to look away. He needed to be alone for a while. He needed to get away from this strong yearning that made his chest hurt with a tightness that seemed impossible to fix.

He put Kiyi down and fixed her dress. “Now, I think it’s time for you to go bother your big brother for a bit because…” He sniffed his armpits and pretended to faint on the spot. She was on the ground rolling around from laughter, holding her little tummy in her hands. Sokka closed his eyes and chuckled to himself. He wanted to share the moment with Zuko, like every other moment with Kiyi, or another little kid, but he decided not to.

The second she stopped laughing he got up from the floor, zombie style. “I’m alive..!”

She laughed and fell into his arms as she continued to shake from her laughter. Sokka held on tightly. If Ursa or Noren ever mistreated her he would adopt her in a heartbeat.

“Really though,” Sokka started reluctantly. “I smell bad. I really need a shower. I’ll be quick though, I promise.”

Kiyi leant in to smell him dramatically, just like her big brother had done earlier that morning. “I think you smell fine. Just a little sandy.”

“Like the ocean.” Zuko agreed without looking up from his phone. “That’s just how he always smells.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow at him, but Zuko didn’t look up at all.

Zuko knew how he always smelled? He thought it was like the ocean? Hm. Now _that_ was interesting.

He got up to go get some clean clothes and tried not to think about the fact that Zuko knew his smell.

While he walked past, Zuko tried his hardest not to blush as he looked at his phone. He was playing a game, sure, but he wasn’t actually paying attention to it anymore. His comment on Sokka’s smell had definitely come out without thinking, back when he was still focused on his game.. but then he had realised what he had said and he absolutely did _not_ dare to look Sokka in the eye.

Sokka took his clothes into the bathroom and told Kiyi once again, “I’ll be right back, okay? I won’t be long.”

She ran over and stood in front of him on her tippy toes. “Kissy.” She demanded once more. Sokka laughed warmly, kissed her, and ran a hand through her hair.

“You and your kisses.”

“Right. Zuzu come here!” She demanded as she turned to him. Zuko reluctantly came over, he had a feeling he knew what this was about.

“Give Zuzu a kissy.” She told Sokka.

“Kiyi..!” Zuko groaned. “Will you stop that…”

Sokka shook his head with a smile. He ran his hand along her cheek and blew her a kiss. He looked up and blew Zuko a kiss too, before closing the bathroom door between them with a satisfying smirk.

“Fingers!” He called right before he closed the door. He checked of course, cause Zuko was too distracted to tell him if her fingers were out of the way. He took the quickest glance at Zuko before the door was closed. He stood there staring at the door with rosy cheeks and Sokka was glad that he had caught a glimpse of that. Oh, how he loved to make the man blush.

He quickly turned on the water to let it get warm and listened to how Zuko pulled her away from the door to go play with her toys. He took off his clothes and got in the shower with a smile. This weekend had been great. He was definitely going to text Ursa to do this more often. He already had a couple of ideas. The children’s museum, the aquarium, that big indoor playground he saw a poster of last week… He was definitely googling for more options later.

He was awakened from his thoughts by a knock on the door.

“Sokka, she has to pee.”

“Sure, come in.” He called back. They never locked the door if the other was home. They only had the one bathroom and if you gotta go, you gotta go.

They quickly went inside and closed the door to not let the heat out. Sokka listened as he washed his hair.

“Dress up,” Zuko demanded calmly.

He heard her sit down on the toilet. She hummed a song to herself while she was most definitely not peeing. Zuko reminded her to keep her dress up.

“Why didn’t you just take it off?” Sokka asked.

Kiyi piped up, remembering who was in the shower, and just straight up pulled the curtain aside. “Hey, Soso!”

Both men yelped. Zuko because the water was soaking his clothes and Sokka because well… he was naked and Zuko just saw him. He had his hands in his hair so he had _definitely_ not been fast enough to cover himself up. He quickly pulled the curtain back.

Kiyi giggled as she looked at Zuko.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” He asked with much amusement in his voice. He didn’t mind getting a little wet, he still had to get dressed anyway. Seeing Kiyi this happy was everything to him. In a way, it felt like she was making up for the things he and Azula had missed out on.

She motioned for Zuko to come closer to her and he listened. “Soso has a penis.” She giggled hysterically.

Zuko brought a hand to his mouth to stifle his own giggles. He licked his lower lip and glanced at the shower curtain. “He sure does.”

Sokka snorted from the other side of the curtain but didn’t say a word. He rinsed off the shampoo and realised he still hadn’t heard her pee.

“Are you peeing?” He asked as he stuck his head past the edge of the curtain.

“Yes yes.” She said, but as they all stayed quiet they heard nothing.

Sokka continued to lather his hair with conditioner and suddenly Kiyi burst into a story to him.

“So Soso..!” She paused to giggle. “So Sokka..!” She corrected herself and then launched into a rambled story. Sokka decided to just turn the water off and sit down in the bathtub to listen to her story. He moved the curtain a tiny bit and placed his arms on the edge of the bath, leaning his face onto his hands.

“Yes..? Oh wow..! Really? That’s crazy!”

Zuko found himself gazing again. Gazing at the picture of the two of them chatting like that. He was definitely drawing that later. He gazed at them for minutes until Sokka looked back at him. He couldn’t look away for a solid minute. Their gazes too intensely loving. Like they were both thinking the same thing. _Imagine this with our own kid one day._

They gazed into each other’s eyes while Kiyi rambled until Sokka shivered and Zuko noticed. He reached up to get a towel and tossed it at him behind the curtain, without looking of course. Sokka put it over himself like a blanket and smiled thankfully.

Kiyi had noticed his attention went to something that wasn’t her and she put her little hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her.

Sokka laughed endearingly. “I thought you had to pee?”

She thought for a moment. “No, not anymore.” She beamed at him and Sokka just laughed again.

She launched right back into her story and Zuko quietly left the room to put on his clothes for the day and to grab his phone of course. He needed to take a quick sneaky photo of them so he could sketch them properly later.

He walked back into the bathroom carefully and was glad to find them still in the same position.

He crouched down with his back against the wall, just like he had been a moment ago, and sneakily took his phone out of his back pocket. Sokka was totally onto him and so he did his best to look at her as adoringly as he could. Not that he could look at her with any more love than he already had been… but still.

Zuko took the photo and was horrified to find out that he had left his volume on high. The loud shutter sound filled the echo-y bathroom and he froze. Sokka smirked at him knowingly.

The slightly older boy seemed to be a level of embarrassed he hadn’t seen of him yet and he started to feel a little bit bad. Did he feel extra bad because they were both naked? It wasn’t like you could see anything. He was mostly hidden behind the shower curtain, and Kiyi was leaning her hands between her legs on the toilet seat.

Besides, it wasn’t like he was going to do anything with it. He was probably going to draw it and needed a reference. Sokka knew Zuko liked to draw his favourite memories. That’s why he kept every single drawing Zuko had ever given him neatly packed away in a protective folder. He had bought it, especially for those drawings.

Maybe one day he’d feel safe hanging them up somewhere… maybe he secretly hoped it would be in their next house, that they buy _together_ as a _married_ couple… with a kid perhaps… Let the guy dream.

He looked at Zuko’s panicked face and moved over, wrapping the curtain around himself like a cape.

“Let me see.” He said gently.

Zuko looked at him with furrowed brows but showed him anyway.

“Oh sh… goodness we’re so cute..!” He looked into Zuko’s eyes with a, shit almost slipped up, kind of expression, before taking the phone from him and showing the photo to Kiyi. “We look cute right?” He asked her seriously.

She nodded with a smile, to which Sokka just turned on the selfie cam and took a few cute selfies with her. One with big, toothy grins, one with a peace sign, -which Kiyi couldn’t do- one with Sokka kissing her on the cheek, and then one with her kissing him on the cheek.

He handed the phone back to Zuko who looked at him so thankfully it kind of hurt his heart.

“I’d lean up and kiss your cheek too, but I’d expose myself.”

Zuko chuckled. “Would hardly be the first time.”

Sokka blinked at that and thought for a moment. “The second time?” He wasn’t sure what Zuko was thinking of.

“Remember when you first moved in and I had that see-through shower curtain?”

Sokka’s eyes widened. He definitely did remember that.

Zuko had come home from work as he had been showering and was about to burst, so he had run into the bathroom and then frozen on the spot, almost peeing himself as he looked at a naked Sokka. He hadn’t even noticed it, cause his eyes were closed while he washed his hair, but then he rinsed it and opened his eyes and he spotted him and he hadn’t even been awkward about it.

“Hey, you.” He had said. “Whatcha doing here?” Zuko hadn’t replied. “You look like you’re about to pee yourself.” He had joked and Zuko had looked down at himself and cursed. “Yes uh sorry I really have to pee.” Sokka had shrugged and motioned for him to just go.

Zuko had stood at the toilet for a full minute just not peeing at all. “Could you uh, close your eyes, maybe?” He had awkwardly asked. “They have been the whole time.”

“Oh.” He had looked up and seen that his eyes were indeed closed and he had finally been able to pee. After looking down and admiring Sokka’s side view for a moment, of course. He hadn’t really looked and _inspected_ what Sokka looked like naked but, more just _admired_ the curve of his back down to his ass, down to his thighs. Thighs he had obsessed over for weeks after..

Sokka, who wasn’t aware he had been admired like that, smirked at the memory. He didn’t mind Zuko seeing him naked. At least not when it was just the two of them and he could use it to make the man blush.

“Oh, that’s right.” He nodded for a moment, and then just got up from the bathtub. “Well, in that case…” He moved up, took a hold of his head with one of his hands, and smooshed his face against his cheek. He moved away with a dramatic “mwuah” and Zuko rolled his eyes with a blush.

He took a moment to admire him like that. Zuko definitely wasn’t the only one who liked to admire the other.

“Why did you have that see-through thing anyway?” He asked to not let Zuko simmer in that blush for _too_ long. He loved to tease him, but he didn’t want him to be uncomfortable.

“Because I lived alone and wanted to be able to see the rest of the room.” He shrugged, but there was an edge to him, Sokka could tell.

It took him a moment to realise that he had it because he had severe anxiety living on his own. It was the whole reason Sokka moved in. He had still been living with his dad, Bato, and Katara and it had been fine, but every time Zuko awkwardly admitted that his anxiety kept him up all night, he would feel bad. One day he just straight up asked if he would feel better if he moved in with him, and Zuko’s eyes had never been so thankful.

As he remembered that, he placed a hand on his knee and drew circles with his thumb. “I remember now, sorry I brought it up.”

“You’re fine.” Zuko shrugged. He moved one of Sokka’s floppy strands of hair back with the rest to emphasise his point. Sokka smiled at that. In general, Zuko was way less touchy than he was, except not with him. They had become so close, especially since they started living together. Sokka loved nothing more in the whole world. Except for Zuko himself of course.

“Send those to me, will ya.” He said nodding his head towards his phone.

“Of course.”

Sokka smiled at him. “You’re a darling. You both are… but if you’re really not going to be peeing I would like to request both of you pardon your cute butts out of this bathroom so I can rinse out this conditioner. If it stays in any longer I’m going to have the world’s silkiest hair.” He grinned at Kiyi, who grinned right back at him.

“Can I play with your hair when you’re done?”

Sokka pulled a thoughtful face and stroked his non-existent beard. “Hmm…. I’ll think about it.”

She happily hopped off the toilet and ran to the door without hoisting her tights up. Zuko called after her and Sokka checked the toilet just to be sure.

“Nope, no pee.” He said when Zuko shot him a questioning look. He nodded with a smile. “She just wanted to be close to you.” He understood that very well.

He gave him one more glance and then closed the door behind himself. Sokka tossed away the towel, turned on the shower again, and yelped loudly at the icy water crashing down onto his skin. He heard Zuko laughing in the living room.

“Hashtag rude!” He called out.

“Hashtag it was only fondness!” Zuko called back with another laugh.

Sokka smiled and clutched his heart. That was probably the closest Zuko would come to saying he loved him. He considered yelling back that he loves him too, but ultimately decided that that would stop Zuko from ever using that again.

He settled on smiling to himself as he rinsed his hair. He washed his body as quickly as possible with the ever lovely herbal shower gel and called it a day. The herbal shower gel wasn’t his own favourite to use, but he knew it was Zuko’s favourite to smell. He would stick his nose in his neck and breathe it in for a minute or two. It was a form of intimacy he craved daily.

Zuko, he realised as he dried himself off, always used the one that was _his_ favourite. It was spicy and always left him smelling like cinnamon and nutmeg, with a hint of star-anise. Sokka had definitely mentioned to him that it was his favourite smell…

_Were they both doing the same thing..?_

The more he actually took the time to analyse Zuko’s behaviour, the more he started to think that maybe… he’d been an idiot this whole time…

When he walked out of the bathroom, his clothes on, his hair damp, his skin glistening, Zuko was looking at him like he was the prettiest person he’d ever seen and Sokka felt himself blush. It was like Zuko wasn’t even aware of the way he was looking at him.

He quickly walked to his room to toss his clothes in the laundry basket and to give himself a moment to breathe and ready himself for that damned gaze.

Zuko was sitting on the counter with a barstool between his legs because… well, because the man was gay and he sat like that sometimes.

Sokka walked back into the room, took one look at that, and his brain just immediately went, _It’s free real estate._

So he walked over and he sat down on that exact stool with his back to Zuko, whose hands moved to rest on his shoulders in an instant. As expected, he leant down, his arms sliding around his neck, and sniffed his hair and then his neck.

“You smell nice.” He whispered. “The green tea from your conditioner blends really well with the lemongrass and the sage and…” He smelled again. “Is that rosemary? I don’t remember that being in there…” He thought for a second. “Anyway, it smells extra nice with the green tea.”

Sokka wasn’t sure how to reply to that. Had he memorised the ingredients of his products? He was pulled from his thoughts by Zuko’s hands that were suddenly sliding back up and playing with his hair. He could feel that he started braiding it and he closed his eyes for a moment. It felt so nice.

“Are you gonna make my hair dirty again?” He joked quietly, after a long moment.

“I just washed my hands.” He didn’t add in the fact that he had washed his hands for this exact reason.

Sokka pursed his lips in thought. “Alright.” He waited a moment to ask, “So how silky is it?”

“The silkiest in the world.”

Sokka thought he was gonna die from how much he loved that guy. Most of the time it was a fantastic feeling, but sometimes.. sometimes it was so _much_ he thought, one more gaze, one more smile, or one more gentle comment, and he was going to _burst_. This was one of those moments. It was moments like these when even Sokka, of all people, didn’t know what to say in reply. He was afraid that if he’d open his mouth he’d spill his guts.

Zuko continued to gently braid and unbraid his hair as they looked at Kiyi, playing with her toys. They quietly talked about all sorts of things. Sokka mentioned he’d like to take her to the children’s museum someday, and Zuko mused that it would definitely be great.

As they were talking Zuko had stopped playing with his hair and his hands slid down from his shoulders, over his chest, and then crossed over his waist. He leant down to press his nose in the crook of his neck again, gently breathing in the scent.

They sat like that for a while, chatting about nothing or about Kiyi or just being quiet.

“We should sit like this more often… It’s nice…” Sokka uttered, his hand on Zuko’s arm, their heads pressed against each other. He even felt a little bit sleepy at the warm comfort of Zuko’s arms.

He could feel Zuko starting to blush, his cheek hot against his own, but he tightened his arms around him and ever so softly agreed.

Maybe it was because Zuko felt like all he needed to do was turn Sokka’s head slightly and he could kiss him. Or maybe it was because sitting like that with him, looking at a kid, made him feel like they were actually together… and were parents… Or maybe it was both.

(It was definitely both).

Kiyi was standing in front of the couch swaying and twirling to a song she was listening to. Her dress moved with grace and sparkled beautifully in the sun.

“Remind me to ask your mom where she got that dress,” Sokka uttered.

“Why? Do you want one for yourself?” The slightly older guy teased. Sokka would, 100%, walk around in a matching sparkly dress. He would like to see that, actually.

Sokka gently slapped the side of his face. “No, you idiot, I wanna know so I can buy her more. Look how great she looks..! She’s so happy.”

“You sure you don’t just think she looks great cause you love the sparkles?”

Sokka turned so that his lips were ghosting over the skin of his jaw as he spoke. “Remember, you’re in a very dangerous position right now..” He threatened vaguely. Was he going to hurt him, or was he going to kiss him? Even he didn’t know.

Zuko just laughed and rubbed their heads together. He seemed to be getting more comfortable again and Sokka was beyond thankful for that.

“So you wanna buy my little sister more dresses? Do you think she doesn’t have enough yet?”

“Not enough that her best uncle bought for her.” He let his hand draw lazy patterns on Zuko’s arm.

“You know she’s never gonna call you that.” Zuko leant closer to his touch.

Sokka chuckled softly. “She doesn’t even know what brother-in-law means.”

“She knows it gets a reaction, though.” Zuko reminded him.

Oh and what kind of a reaction. Probably not her absolute favourite one, but still one that made her laugh. Sokka wasn’t sure what to say to Zuko about this, that wouldn’t make him move away. He didn’t want this to end yet. Or ever.

“Anyway, I just want to know the brand.. you know for kiyi… or for our future kids…”

 _Our_.

 _Our kids_.

Obviously, Zuko thought, he meant if you have a kid and if I have a different kid, we could buy them cute dresses together. He definitely didn’t mean kids him and Sokka would have together….

Except he did. He most certainly did.

“Fair point. I’ll ask my mom later.” Zuko said lightly. He felt light in his head, and not from the impact from earlier, but from the thought of them having kids together and buying them cute clothes together. Even though Sokka’s shopping sprees could be absolutely horrendously exhausting… he still wanted it. So badly.

They spent another half-hour sitting like that, warm and safe and loved. Zuko was definitely half-asleep on top of Sokka, and that really wasn’t fair to Kiyi. They could cuddle like that any day, Kiyi didn’t have to be there for that. Except that she did need to be there for them to have moments about wanting kids. _Together_.

Kiyi looked up at them and smiled. She walked over and took Sokka’s free hand and then reached for one of Zuko’s. “Come play with me.” She demanded sweetly. The girl knew exactly how to get them to listen to her.

Neither one of them wanted to get up, but neither wanted to say no to Kiyi either and so Zuko let go of him and Sokka got up. Zuko almost kissed him. After sitting like that for so long it felt like he had to kiss him goodbye before going about his day. He didn’t though, and so he followed them, grabbing Kiyi’s hand again and the three of them walked to her toys.

When later on Sokka became aware of the time he gasped. “I have to go get some groceries.” He told both of them. “We have no food left.”

“I can go?” Zuko offered.

“No, Zuzu stay!” Kiyi begged, holding onto one of his arms for dear life.

Sokka chuckled. “Nah, it’s all good, I’m going.”

“I wanna go!”Kiyi piped up. Poor girl, torn between wanting to stay with her cool brother or go away with her even cooler uncle.

“Sure sweetie, let’s get your shoes.”

“Zuzu come too!”

“Well, alright. If everyone’s going, I’m coming too.”

“You don’t have to, swee-” He cut himself off the second he noticed himself using the pet name. He’d been calling Kiyi sweetie for almost 48 hours, it came out without thinking. “You could have some alone time while we’re gone.”

Zuko looked at him with a sly smile, he totally heard it. “Nah, I don’t need alone time. Besides, I wanted to look for some fruit anyway.”

Sokka knew that wasn’t the real reason. He knew Zuko loved to go grocery shopping with him, and he also knew he hated staying in the house all day.

Sokka helped him up off the floor and they all went to quickly do the last things before they could leave. Like peeing for real this time.

Zuko was done first. Sokka couldn’t find his wallet, as per usual.

“Ready to go, _sweetie_?” Zuko teased. Sokka blushed and slapped him on the chest, but then didn’t move his hand away as he tried to put on his shoe with one hand.

When he almost lost his balance his hand slid up into his neck to hold on tight at the same time as Zuko’s hands moved to his waist to keep him from falling. They both kept their hands where they were until Sokka’s second shoe was on.

When he set his foot back down he looked up at Zuko and they locked eyes. Their gazes were gentle and loving. Zuko wanted to move in and kiss him. Sokka wanted to pull him in by his neck to press their lips together.

Except neither did so because Kiyi started making kissing noises from beside them. They instantly looked at her and she looked up with a cute innocent face as if she hadn’t known what she was doing. She probably didn’t, to be fair, she was just 5 after all.

They quickly move away from each other and Zuko picked up Kiyi as Sokka picked up his keys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write, I hope you liked reading it just as much! ❤️


	6. The grocery store

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go get groceries and Sokka is so good with Kiyi that mothers are flocking to Zuko's side to tell him his husband is an amazing dad. Zuko doesn't quite know how to handle it, Sokka steps in to take care of him.
> 
> Ps. Something went wrong with the previous upload of this chapter so I had to delete it and do it again, sorry!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Whoops the note ended up in the summary! Sorry about that!)
> 
> Oof there's some real discourse in this one..! Funny stuff only though!

The ride there was a chaotic mess.

Zuko turned on a kids' playlist and loudly sang with it to make Kiyi laugh.

The little girl laughed and giggled and asked Sokka to sing too. Sokka however, said no, and she pouted at him in the mirror. She sang with Zuko, as loudly as she could and it was the cutest thing in the world. There was just so much love in it Sokka couldn’t help but feel so damn fond. He was definitely going to burst one day. _Soon_.

Instead of bursting, he decided to just sneakily film the two of them and send it to Ursa and Katara. With heart eye emojis, of course.

At the store, a _bunch_ of cute things happened. One of which was Kiyi running away and Sokka running after her. Kiyi was giggling as she ran and Sokka pretended he couldn’t keep up with her, and Kiyi in return, would pretend she needed breaks between running so that Sokka could catch up.

It was kind of ridiculous to look at, to be honest. These two idiots both holding back so the other could catch up. Zuko shook his head with a smile.

Another one was Sokka pretending a melon was his head to make Kiyi giggle and Zuko mumbled something about his head _actually_ seeming that big sometimes. To which Sokka shot him a dramatic look and pretended to be hurt. Zuko just rolled his eyes and laughed at him. He just couldn’t help himself.

Yet another cute thing was Kiyi pulling Sokka along to show him one of her favourite toys, and Sokka pretending to be super excited about it. Sokka then telling her about the toys he had as a kid and Kiyi in return pretending to be super interested in what he had to say. That one was particularly adorable.

The two of them fake fighting with plastic lightsabers was also very cute to look at. Zuko, with his phone on mute this time, secretly took photos of them. About 60 photos. At least.

The one and only problem Zuko had with it all was that mothers would just flock to his side to look at them and praise them and touch his arm and tell him how lucky he was with a husband like that.

As nice as it was all meant to be, and as much as he wanted it to be true, it all became too much, too soon. It wasn’t necessarily the comments or the fact that it wasn’t true that really ticked him off. It was the touches from strangers without them even asking.

During one of the moments, Sokka actually saw the stranger touch him and he immediately got Kiyi, put her in the cart, and told the lady that they had to go.

“You okay?” He asked quietly. “Were they bothering you? Were they mean?”

Zuko laughed warmly. His cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling and laughing so much. “No, they kept telling me how good of a dad you are and how I’m lucky to have you.”

Sokka’s eyes grew watery. People thought he was a good dad? Oh, he wanted that so badly. And the thought of being Zuko’s partner and Zuko hypothetically being lucky to have him was… truly… the best thing he had ever heard in all of his life.

Zuko breathed in to continue. He wasn’t going tease Sokka about wanting to be a good dad. Besides, he agreed with the ladies; he was fantastic with kids. “That didn’t bother me though..”

“It was the touches,” Sokka said with a nod. He knew how he was with those. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it earlier, I would’ve come to rescue you sooner.”

Zuko felt a tad too vulnerable and felt a strong need to turn it into a joke. “Oh, so this is a rescue?”

Sokka wasn’t having it though and just continued the conversation in a serious and caring tone. “We’re almost done, okay?” He promised him. He took the cart from him and hooked their arms together on his left so he could ward off any moms that wanted to stand next to him in his blindspot.

“This okay?” He asked with a warm smile.

Zuko nodded, but couldn’t look him in the eye. His heart was melting.

Plus, he knew the mom from earlier was still watching them. He was scared she’d say something about them being good husbands and that would make Sokka rub it in her face that they were _perfect_ together or something odd like that. He’d probably get all possessive just so she’d back off. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Either that, he thought, or the lady was maybe changing her mind about them being cute and wanted to spew homophobic bullshit instead… and he couldn’t handle that properly in front of Kiyi. So the best choice was to stay quiet, let Sokka lead him, and not look anyone in the eye except Kiyi.

The warmth and weight of Sokka’s arm on his own kept demanding his attention as they walked. It felt awfully familiar in an odd, unknowing way.

They walked down several aisles arm in arm and Zuko had to _force_ himself to think about something else, _anything_ else, really hard. Anything but the fact that Sokka was walking him down the aisle. Anything to stop him from imagining Kiyi as their flower girl, sprinkling little petals on the floor in a cute glittery dress before the two of them just walk down the aisle together.

Sokka probably in some ridiculous outfit, him probably in a different but equally ridiculous outfit. Katara and Azula in dresses that fit the colours of their brothers. Aang would probably marry them. Toph would demand to craft the rings herself. He’d love that actually.

“What are you thinking about?” Sokka asked curiously.

Well _crap_. He hadn’t stopped himself from thinking about it all.

“Nothing!” He exclaimed frantically, his cheeks heating in an instant. “You know, head empty.”

Sokka chuckled but there was a look in his eye that almost made him think he knew where his head had been. Could Sokka read minds? _Sokka if you can hear this kiss me right now. Please. Just.. I love you. So much._

Sokka just smiled at him. “Should I detach your head and yeet it away?”

Zuko rolled his eyes. He was thankful Sokka couldn’t read minds. That’d be a weird conversation to have after six years of friendship and many moments where he wanted to kiss him or tell him he loved him or.. more intimate things.

“You’re still thinking,” Sokka said fondly.

Zuko tried to quickly think of something ridiculous to say. “Yeah, I was just thinking…. so Edward couldn’t hear Bella’s thoughts, right? Doesn’t that just mean that she was just thoughtless? Like does he hear _every_ single thought of everyone? I’m sure there’s people who just simply don’t have thoughts, so why didn’t he just figure that with her? Like oh well, head empty I guess.”

Sokka blinked at him with an incredulous expression. “Are you asking me a twilight question?”

“Hey, don’t pretend you weren’t about to launch right back into your thoughts on the past tense of yeet.”

“Look.” He pointed at him with his fingers pressed together. “The past tense of yeet just should not be yeeted. It should be yoted.”

“Please tell me you’re not also going to start talking about goose, geese and snooze, sneeze…”

“Look, those words shouldn’t mean different things..! If geese is the plural of goose, sneeze should be the plural of snooze!” Sokka launched right into it anyway and Zuko rolled his eyes and took the cart back from him.

“Let’s go, Kiyi, we’re gonna leave the crazy man behind.”

Sokka stood there for a moment, still rambling, before running after them. Except Zuko stopped to get something off a shelf and Sokka slammed into his back.

“Aw Chr-ackers Sokka..! My head is hurting enough as it is.”

“Whoops, sorry.” He kissed the top of his head as best he could. He was, annoyingly enough, only half an inch taller than Zuko. he was _supposed_ to have a big growth spurt and become as tall as his dad..! But alas.. his genes did not grant his wish.

“I still think it’s yoted.” He joked, but there was a bitterness to his tone.

“If I was a better judge of character I would’ve _yoted_ you out of the house years ago.” Zuko retaliated.

“Aw, you wouldn’t though. You’d get lonely without your Soso.” Sokka teased, an arm around his shoulders. It was slowly sliding down his back and then ending up at his waist.

Zuko couldn’t reply to that. His head was too focused on _your_.

 _Your Soso_. Not just your Sokka, no he called himself Soso. He very much disliked being called Soso by anyone but Kiyi.

_Yours_

_Your Soso_

He wanted nothing more than for him to be _his_.

Sokka bit his lip as he stared at his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Kiyi loudly opened a package of cookies, startling them both back into the real world.

“Kiyi, we haven’t paid for those yet.”

“Oh don’t worry, dear. My daughter does that all the time.” A lady next to them said. “As long as you pay for it they don’t even care if the package is empty.” The lady stuck out her hand to touch him and Sokka protectively wrapped his other arm around him too, in a way that casually pulled him just far enough away to be out of reach.

Zuko leant into the touch as if to let her know he was untouchable by her, even though that wasn’t the lady’s point at all. Her point was actually completely useless and also a little bit annoying. If Kiyi knew the store didn’t mind her eating the cookies… she would never stop eating them… she wouldn’t listen to them telling her no.

“You two make a cute couple.” the lady told them with a smile. “Your little girl must be very happy.”

“Zuzu is my brother.” Kiyi piped up. For a moment Zuko was happy about that. He knew Sokka was about to launch into a made-up story about them being _absolutely fantastic husband thank you very much_ , and he did not have the energy for that today.

“Oh.” The lady said. “My bad.”

Zuko felt a little bad for her and went to explain. “My mother remarried.”

“Oh. Well, I’m happy she found someone new. Sorry for your loss, though.” She said kindly.

“Oh no my father’s not dead, he’s just a grade-A ass-” His eyes widened. He tried to think of what to say to fix the cursing but he couldn't think of anything. “Sokka help, I don’t know how to fix that one.”

“Relax, I don’t think she even noticed.” He whispered, hugging him tighter. He looked at her and indeed she was busy eating the entire package of cookies while they weren’t paying attention. He shot the woman a look of, _phew_ and she smiled at them.

“Well anyway, the two of you are still a very cute couple.” She turned to Kiyi. “You must be very happy to have a cool brother-in-law like that.”

Both boys did their best to suppress a groan. She was never ever going to stop calling him that now…

“Yes, I am!” She agreed enthusiastically and.. grossly, with her mouth full.

“Well, I need to get on with my list now. Have a good day!” The woman chimed.

The three of them said bye and waved at her. Zuko waited for the lady to move around the corner before he turned to face his little sister.

“Sweetie, we still have to eat lunch.” He said as he took the cookies from her.

Kiyi started screaming immediately.

“Oh, dear.” _Technically_ he knew how to handle a situation like this. In his head it all made sense, but in reality, he forgot what to do the second the screaming overflowed his brain.

Thankfully Sokka could handle the screaming like he didn’t even hear it. “Hey. Look at me.” He said gently. “Lunch first, cookies second.”

Kiyi screamed out no, and then started crying even louder. Sokka removed his arms from around Zuko so he could take a step away and hold onto her hands.

“Deep breaths.”

He breathed in deeply himself, trying to get her to breathe along. “…and out… perfect.”

He grinned at her and gave her a quick thumbs up.

“Are you upset about the cookies, or is there something else?” He asked as he took both her hands in his. She sniffled as she thought. “Are you tired maybe? Or hungry? Or both?”

She thought so hard she started crying all over again.

“Okay.. Too many options.” He picked her up out of the cart and hugged her tightly. “Do you wanna go to the parking lot and scream for a bit?” She thought with a pout, but she was quiet anyway.

“Can I shout a bad word?”

Sokka chuckled at her. “No curse words.” He declared before pressing his forehead to hers and softly whispering. “…but you could yell out, Zuzu is a silly-billy.”

She thought for about half a second and then nodded. “Okay.”

Sokka turned to Zuko, who was enamoured once again. “Will you be okay? We’ll only be a minute.”

“Yes babe, I’ll be alright.”

_Babe_

He didn’t realise his mistake until Sokka had already walked away. Neither did Sokka.

When Sokka did realise he felt all warm and fuzzy. His heart was beating about a thousand beats per minute and his cheeks felt hot. _He called me babe!_ _This time not as a joke!_ It was an accident, sure, but it came out like it was normal. He said it as if he had called him that a hundred times already.

It was not just strange and exciting, it was also the biggest breakthrough of the day, and maybe ever. He had been testing all day to figure out if maybe Zuko wanted this too.

After that kiss the day before… he could think about nothing but their relationship. Zuko had kissed back and at first, he had thought it was an automatic response, but then he thought that maybe he had liked it, and now… he called him _babe_..!

He could hardly contain his blush nor his smile, let alone his butterflies or his racing heart, as he tried to get Kiyi to calm down from her tantrum.

Zuko, on the other hand, was embarrassed beyond belief. He hoped, more than he had probably ever hoped for anything, that Sokka wouldn’t mention it when he got back.

He could hardly focus on the grocery list in his hand and mostly just absentmindedly walked through the aisles, tapping the pen against the cart until they came back. It had felt so right in the moment, to call him that pet-name. He wanted to say it again, but his anxiety took over his thoughts and told him he had ruined everything after that one slip up.

When they reappeared, Sokka had to try his very hardest to not just mention that one little word. He was dying to, at the very least, tease him about it, lovingly of course, and then kiss him senseless after. He knew he couldn’t do that though. He needed more solid proof. Whatever that meant…

“So, what more do we need?” He asked casually as if he didn’t want to kiss him now, more than he ever had.

Zuko handed Sokka their list, his face red, and his heart racing. _Don’t think about it, Zuko, Don’t do it._

Sokka bit his lip as he looked at the list that looked identical to the list before they had left. He looked into the cart to make sure his assumptions were right. Sure enough, they were several aisles further into the store, and yet.. he hadn’t picked up a single thing. He fought the urge to smirk at him.

So he had been distracted too, huh? He wondered why.

In order to not embarrass him, even more, Sokka asked Zuko to go find something for dessert. Zuko took Kiyi’s hand and together they walked away to the right aisle. Sokka waited a minute before quickly going back to the former aisles and getting all the things they needed.

He loved to tease Zuko about… well, everything… but he didn’t want him to feel embarrassed about a cute nickname. Especially not now that he thought that maybe he could start calling him that and _mean it_.

It was especially good that he didn’t tease because he too almost missed a few things because he was too busy thinking about it.

When he was done racing around the aisles, and triple-checking his list, he made his way over to the desserts. He found them quietly arguing about which fruit was best in yogurt and he chuckled. Zuko looked up with a smile and then pulled a serious face right after.

“Sokka, please tell Kiyi peaches are best in yogurt.”

“No! Starberries!” She whined passionately.

Sokka chuckled again and joined Zuko with a serious face. “Hm… Strawberries are definitely nice… but I have to say… I prefer.. cherries.”

“No!” Kiyi yelled dramatically. “Not cherries! Yuck!”

“What do you mean yuck?!” Sokka exclaimed dramatically.

Zuko pulled a face at him. “Cherries? I can’t believe you would betray me like that.”

“Neither of you like cherries? Zuko? Really..?! How am I-” He cut himself off the moment he realised what he was about to say. _How am I in love with you_. Thankfully his brain functioned, for the time being, and saved him with another option. “-living with you? I can’t believe I live with a person who doesn’t like cherries..! How have we gone through six years of such terrible taste?”

“Terrible taste? Me? You eat cheese and chocolate! Together!”

“It’s the sweet and the salty..!” Sokka defended himself while laughing. Oh, how he loved this. This back and forth of meaningless shit that was mostly meant as a joke.

“Anyway..! You two need to make up your mind, cause I’m hungry.”

He grabbed what he wanted and theatrically put it in the cart. As if to say, _hurry up you idiots._

Zuko gave in and let Kiyi have her _starberries_ but grabbed the one with peaches for himself. They were going to be eating yogurt for a week but it was worth it.

The drive back home was, as expected, the same chaotic singing mess. Sokka tried to film it again, but Zuko caught him and abruptly stopped.

“What? No... Don’t stop singing..!” He pouted dramatically and told Kiyi to convince her brother to start singing again.

Zuko rolled his eyes with a smile. “I’m not singing if you’re filming.”

“Oh come on..! It’s just for your mom..!” …a _nd for me to look at and yearn over you when I can’t sleep at night_

Zuko was about to give in.

“…maybe Katara…”

He hesitated. Katara meant Aang got to see it too.

“…Toph… maybe? If that’s okay?”

Zuko sighed. “You know that she’d never let me live if she had a recording of me singing.”

“Alright, just your mom then.” _…and me._

When he stopped at a traffic light, Zuko shot an annoyed look into the camera. “This is what I have to deal with, mom. On a daily basis..!”

“Will you just sing?” Sokka chuckled endearingly. He kept filming and sure enough, he actually got back to singing with his little sister.

He later sent the video to Ursa with a bunch of hearts and then got a single eye roll emoji replied a few minutes later.

When they got back home they each did their part. Kiyi’s was to go eat some fruit as she watched tv -and left them alone-, Sokka’s was to put away things on higher shelves and Zuko basically did all the rest. He didn’t mind. Sokka did everything else in the kitchen, and since he had started living there before Sokka did, he had already figured out places for everything and he didn’t want to mess that up.

As Sokka stood on his toes and reached up Zuko found himself getting distracted by the strip of skin that was suddenly on display, because of course he did. Sokka’s shirt had risen up to his bellybutton and _oh_ how that skin was just _right there_. Right there, within reach, ready to be caressed…. He licked his lips. …or better yet; _kissed_ … softly… his hands on his hips… his lips ghosting over that glorious soft skin… The quiet breaths he’d let out on his skin would tickle him, and he would probably reach out and thread his fingers into his hair… and he would press his lips to his soft belly until he had goosebumps… and he-

He shook his head, his cheeks heating up at the thought of Sokka knowing he thought these things. He quickly got back to putting things into their fridge. This was not the time to thirst over a patch of skin he barely ever saw..! He’d seen him naked just this morning..! How was it that seeing just a little bit felt so, so much more thrilling?

_You’re getting distracted again, Zuko, focus. You can’t afford to get caught staring. He’d tease. He’d be relentless. You’d spill your guts. It’s too dangerous._

Except that was exactly what happened… several times… There was just something about the softness of his tummy that made him want to kiss it and pour his love into it.

It took him a while to get his mind to think about other things. This weekend really was messing with his head.

When they were done putting their things away, Sokka quickly got to making their lunch. Zuko had walked over to Kiyi and started playing with her.

While waiting for a certain thing to be done Sokka ended up sitting on the counter, where Zuko had been that morning. Except he moved the barstool to the side and leant one foot on it. Without shoes, of course.

He sat there for a while, watching Zuko and Kiyi face-timing Ursa on his phone. She had called Sokka because Zuko wouldn’t answer his own phone. He had been too busy thinking about a certain inch of skin he wanted to press his lips to.

Every now and then Sokka would return to their food before going back to his usual spot on the counter.

Zuko looked up at him from where he was with Kiyi and the smile on Sokka’s face was _everything_. Sokka motioned for him to come over and he mindlessly just listened. It was almost like he wasn’t in control of his own body. It just got up and walked over, and before he had realised, he was already standing in front of the man who owned his heart.

The younger man opened his arms and Zuko let himself fall into them. They held onto each other tightly. Not so tight that it felt desperate, but a kind of tight that felt warm and comfortable and safe.

When the hug had been going for several minutes Zuko finally moved away to look at him. His head felt hazy while in his warm embrace. His eyes were soft when he spoke.

“You’re very affectionate today.”

Sokka gazed at him and played with a strand of hair on the side of Zuko’s face before tucking it away as the words registered.

_Oh no._

“Do you mind?” He could feel his nerves building up in his chest. “Is it too much?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry to say that I probably will not be updating the last chapters this weekend. I won't have time to finish it and I don't want to half-ass the last parts. It'll just be a few more days ❤️
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts! Your comments have been making my days ❤️


	7. The traitorous afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are being affectionate again and they get caught. Kiyi pesters them until....... they make a big mistake..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Here we are! The second to last chapter! I am honestly so excited I can't wait to find out what you all think!! 🥰

“Do you mind?” He could feel his nerves building up in his chest. “Is it too much?” He wasn’t sure why he was whispering. He started pulling his hand back, but Zuko held on to his wrist and pressed his cheek into his palm.

“No, it’s fine.” Zuko was whispering too. He sunk into the warm touch and closed his eyes.

“Really? I know earlier at the store.. people touched you…”

“Those were strangers, Sokka, this is _you_.”

Sokka didn’t know how to reply to that. He ended up just gazing at him while his heart felt like it was on fire from loving so much.

Zuko shuffled closer, his hands moving in to touch him without a thought or reason, other than needing his closeness. His one hand rested on top of his thigh, his other on his waist.

Sokka’s free hand reached out and held onto Zuko’s hip with a grip that was both gentle and intoxicating. It was like he was pulling him closer without actually putting in that effort. He just automatically drifted closer into his arms. He had no control over it. His breathing was slow as he leant more heavily into the hand on his cheek. His eyes were closed. He could stay like this forever.

Sokka gazed at his housemate in this state of complete trust and comfort. He couldn’t take his eyes off him. For a moment he thought of how easy it would be to just lean in and kiss him. He could lean in himself... or he could use his hand to pull him in… Either would work just fine but.. the realisation that he couldn’t saddened him so much. He shook his head, to get rid of the thought, and went back to just gazing. It was easy to just go back to that. Everything about Zuko was just so intoxicating.

What they had forgotten about though, was that Kiyi was still face-timing Ursa and Ursa had softly asked her to show the boys as they stood there. She was taking so many screenshots it was kind of ridiculous.

Unfortunately for them all, she made the mistake of texting her son a screenshot saying, _You look cute together_ because the second his phone vibrated in his pocket Zuko opened his eyes and broke the moment. He grabbed his phone and Ursa bit her lip as she regretfully watched it happen.

He slowly opened his text and waited for it to load. In an instant, his eyes grew wide and his face turned pink. He quickly stepped away from Sokka’s grip, who finally woke up from his staring trance.

“Mom..!” Zuko whined as he stepped out of Sokka’s arms. He walked over to Kiyi to take Sokka’s phone from her and embarrassedly scold his mother.

Sokka immediately connected the dots and hid his face in his hands upon realisation. She had been watching them. She had seen them holding on to each other and leaning into each other. Worst of all… she had seen Sokka get drunk on the look on Zuko’s face. He wondered what his face had looked like as he was gazing at him. Was it obvious..? that he was in love?

He quickly turned back to their lunch to make sure everything was still fine. He quietly listened to Zuko talking to his mom about her invading his privacy and he had to hold in a laugh. He knew why Ursa was watching them; she knew of Sokka’s feelings.

When the boy was done criticizing his mother, he asked Zuko to set out some plates while he went ‘to get something’ in his bedroom. Zuko gave Sokka his phone back and he quickly walked into his bedroom.

Before Ursa could hang up he quickly and quietly spoke.

“You better send that screenshot to me.”

To which Ursa, without missing a beat, said, “You better kiss my son for me.”

Sokka closed his eyes tightly and pulled a pained face.

“Look.” He whispered finally, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know I’d love to. I’m working on it.” He mumbled into the phone.

“You are?!” She exclaimed way too loudly. She was so happy for them. Sokka tried to shush her before Zuko heard her, but then the door to his bedroom opened and Zuko’s head peeked in.

“You are what?” He asked curiously.

“Nothing!” He exclaimed as he quickly hung up the phone so that Ursa couldn’t ruin this for him. He was trying his damn best to figure out if feelings were mutual before going for it, thank you very much.

He walked out of his room past Zuko as if nothing had happened. Zuko noticed he hadn’t gotten anything from his room but decided he would ask his mother about it later. They were definitely hiding something.

Later on, after lunch was done and the dishes had been washed, Sokka teased him about the fruit that he wanted to buy but didn’t get. He did it because he felt like it, because it was something Zuko had to learn, but most importantly, he did it because he needed more evidence, and he needed it now.

“ _Oh No..!”_ He exclaimed dramatically. “We forgot fruit..!” He said from where he stood next to him, watching Kiyi play with her dolls. His tone was teasing and Zuko knew exactly what he was implying. Sokka smirked at him. “It’s almost like you didn’t join us for it..!”

Zuko blushed and stuttered through excuses as he tried to hide just how flustered he was. Sokka felt just a little bit bad and placed a hand on his back and one on his stomach as he faced his side.

“You can just say you like to do things, you know. You don’t have to make up terrible excuses.”

Zuko grumbled awkwardly.

Sokka just kissed his cheek, as a test, not at all because he wanted to. He lingered there as he asked him, “Next time will you just say it? _I’d like to join because I want to_. You know I won’t judge, right?” He whispered it to his cheek with his eyes closed, and he could feel Zuko blushing against his lips. He made a point to ignore how his own heart skipped a beat.

“Besides, what is there to judge? You can just want to do things with people.”

When he opened his eyes he finally realised how close they were. They were so close that his breath caught in his throat. His lashes brushed his cheekbone every time he blinked and it felt so nice and warm and _close_ that he couldn’t move.

Zuko seemed to be stuck in the same trance. He felt like today he had been asleep half the day. Not from exhaustion, but simply from the fact that Sokka kept mesmerising him, kept putting him in a trance of closeness mixed with a strong desire of, _kiss me_.

And yet they never did. Zuko, oblivious as ever, _still_ didn’t believe Sokka wanted it too.

Sokka, now battling anxiety rather than uncertainty, felt like he was fighting with his own head. Deep down he knew that he had figured it out already, but his anxiety kept telling him that wasn’t true at all and if he tried his luck with Zuko, everything would come crashing down. He’d ruin it all. He’d _lose_ him.

He kept trying to fight those thoughts, trying to highlight that gut feeling that he had figured it out. Kept trying to just have courage for a couple of seconds and just. kiss. him.

His confidence was building and he felt himself making peace with the idea of being rejected. Even if Zuko told him no, which… wasn’t going to happen, but even _if_ he said no, he would be okay. He had been testing and it gave him certainty. He would be okay. Right? Right.…

In the meantime, Zuko was feeling his neediness rising. He just really needed more. He was terrified and was about 99% sure Sokka was going to turn him down but, his needs took over. He started to slowly move his face a hair towards Sokka’s. He could feel Sokka’s lips slowly dragging past his cheeks as he turned.

His breathing was picking up speed and his heart was already beating so fast it felt like he was having a panic attack. He paused. Was he... Was he having a panic attack? Was this a mistake? Should he stop? Was this the worse decision he had ever made?

Before he could make up his mind their moment got interrupted by the one and only Kiyi. Who had been both really helpful, and utterly hindering for these past two days.

She was pointing at them and making kissing noises as she giggled. She mockingly mimicked the way they were standing and turned the sentence, “Soso loves Zuzu” into a song.

It had been cute in the beginning but Sokka was getting sick of it. He had just finally gotten a moment of certainty. He had just finally been able to push aside his anxiety for long enough to feel confident. He had just, _finally_ , started to figure out how to go about this.

He didn’t think any less of her, of course, she was a toddler she didn’t understand that she kept ruining the moment. Kept stopping him from finally kissing Zuko like he wanted to. Like he thought, after testing all day, and after shoving away his anxiety, Zuko wanted too. It was just really annoying for the time being. Maybe he’d just have to wait another day before making a move. Just so she wouldn’t be there to interrupt them.

He moved away with a sigh. A sigh that Zuko registered. His head moved up in surprise. His eyes widened and then narrowed as he watched the disappointment on his face.

_Wait a minute… does he… does he want this too?_

He wasn’t sure how to test that though. How was he going to figure that out? It wasn’t like he could just ask him. You know, _hey Sokka did you just want to kiss me just as badly as I did? Is that why you sighed?_

Sokka moved to the couch, dragging Zuko with him by his hand. He dropped himself onto it, and just simply pulled him on there with him. In fact, he laid down and pulled Zuko on top of him. He wrapped his arms around him after Zuko had settled in and then closed his eyes.

Zuko watched as Kiyi played with her toys and quietly sang with her kids' playlist. She had already lost interest again. How was it that she was only interested in their love-life if she could interrupt them? Did she know something he did not? Did Ursa tell her that no matter what, they were not allowed to get together? Did she know he could ruin everything if he exposed his feelings?

He sighed and tried to listen to her cute singing instead of spiraling down his usual anxiety slide. It was a good thing she didn’t demand the Disney playlist or Sokka would be singing at the top of his lungs right now.

As much as Zuko loved that and thought it was one of the cutest things in the world, he was so damn comfortable on his chest. The gentle heaving and falling of his chest, and therefore also his own head, was both comforting and making him a little bit seasick. Most importantly though, it was making him feel very, very sleepy. He could easily stay like that for hours.

They laid there for 10 minutes before Sokka realised that he was still being affectionate. He was still touching him a lot. In fact, he was now touching him even more than earlier. He knew Zuko had told him that it didn’t matter, but he never wanted to cross his boundaries like that.

“Will you tell me if it’s too much?” He whispered, his eyes still closed.

Zuko looked up, and after realising he couldn’t see his eyes just brushed a strand of hair out of his face instead. “You know I will.”

“Do I? Cause I know you’d rather keep it all in than be honest about those things, on the off chance you’ll get embarrassed.”

Oh. Well… that was probably the most accurate statement he had ever heard. Zuko blushed and pressed his face closer to his chest.

“Like now?” He mumbled into that chest.

“Why would you be embarrassed right now?”

“You know me better than anyone.”

“Is that bad?”

“I mean, no… but… it’s confronting… sometimes..”

Sokka ran his fingers through Zuko’s hair once before pulling away again. “You know you can just tell me to shut up at any moment, right? Or to stop anything at any moment really.”

Zuko rolled his eyes with a soft smile. “You’re ridiculous. You can’t just drop things because I get embarrassed easily.”

“Well, at least you’re self-aware.” Sokka teased but brought his hand back to Zuko’s hair again. “…I can though… Of course, I can.”

To this, Zuko felt the need to look him in the eyes. He leant up on his arms and moved to hang above Sokka’s face. He looked Sokka in the eye sternly.

“No, you can’t. You can’t just drop things for me.”

“Of course I can,” Sokka repeated calmly, his eyes full of love. His hand, the one that was still in Zuko’s hair, moved to caress his cheek. Zuko leant into the touch with a smile and a blush.

Sokka wanted to hold onto his cheek and pull him in. He wanted to bring him in to his lips and kiss him softly and promise him he’d drop anything for him. Anything except for the obvious. He’s not going to drop a child for him for example. He imagined Zuko laughing at that and then kissing him, instead of Sokka initiating it. His heart would melt. He would probably cry happy tears. He’d tell him he loves him-

“Are you gonna kiss?” Kiyi asked with big, shining eyes, cutting off Sokka’s train of thought.

Sokka closed his eyes and let his head fall backward. Zuko hung his with a groan.

“What? It looked like it.” She said innocently.

“Alright!” Sokka groaned. “If I kiss him, will you please stop, Kiyi?”

Zuko looked up with questioning eyes.

“Only,” Sokka said as he held up a finger at Kiyi. “…if Zuko is okay with it.”

“If it’ll get her to stop..” He mumbled with an annoyed, yet flustered, expression. He wasn’t sure why he agreed with it. It was what he wanted but… not _how_ he wanted it. He wanted it to be real, to be the start of their relationship. He wanted it to be romantic and for Sokka to love him.

“Yes!! Kiss!!” Kiyi jumped up and down all excited. Zuko couldn’t help but smile and roll his eyes at her.

She clapped her hands together as she watched Sokka thread his fingers back into Zuko’s hair again. He shook his head and let out a breath to stabilise himself before starting to pull him in.

Zuko’s eye showed an emotion Sokka couldn’t place. For a moment he wondered if he was making a big mistake. His anxiety was yelling in the back of his head but, then Zuko leant in too, and before he knew it their lips were together.

It was short; a small peck. They moved away almost instantly, but then Zuko hovered only less than an inch above him. Without another thought, and especially without opening their eyes to see the other’s reaction, they both leant in again.

This time though, instead of a quick peck on the lips they felt themselves let go of a breath and leaning in closer. One of Zuko’s hands came up to touch his cheek and pull him closer as he parted his lips and tilted his head.

They moved slowly. Taking in a quick breath before pressing closer.

Zuko’s lips felt soft. Softer than they should. Softer than they had the day before. Sokka felt like he was drowning in them, they felt so good. The hand in Zuko’s hair was tightened around the strands, his other hand was on his face now and it was pulling him in as he pressed closer himself.

Sokka’s lips were soft too, but he hadn’t shaven that morning and the smallest layer of stubble was rubbing against Zuko’s skin as he kissed him. He felt so good… So damn good to finally properly feel…

The thought that the wetness he felt was his and Sokka’s saliva mixing together made him feel like he was on fire and falling in ice water all at once. The hand on his cheek was warm and pulling him closer, and it was almost impossible to not get emotional. He was so passionate. He was so _wanting_. It felt like Sokka truly wanted this as much as he did.

Sokka’s breathing was shaky as he tried to think of what to do. Should he deepen the kiss even more, like he wanted to? Should he wrap his other arm around his lower back and pull him closer? Should he lean up and see if Zuko wanted more too?

They seemed to make up their minds at the same time. Leaning in and parting their lips and then.. Their tongues touched as they both leant in for the same move. They slid along the other slowly, it felt _exhilarating_.

Zuko had imagined kissing Sokka many, many times but, none of them were like this. None of them had involved Sokka lying on the couch, and himself lying _on top_ of him…. The way he had imagined Sokka’s tongue would feel was nothing like the real deal either. The real deal was everything he had ever wanted and more…

Except then, Kiyi, as bad as she was with these things, interrupted them before they were done. Before they were even _close_ to being done.

“Eww kisses!”

They both instantly realised what they were doing, panicked, and pulled away in a hurry.

Shit!

_Shit shit shit!!_

Sokka fell off the couch as he hurried away from his best friend.

Zuko moved off of Sokka and to the other end of the couch, before getting up and just walking away altogether.

As he sat on the ground he sighed. His eyes were closed tightly and his eyes were stinging. He sat back down on the sofa and rubbed a hand over his cheek.

What had they done…

It had been the best feeling in the world, especially after so much… _longing_ … but had they ruined everything? Were they done now? How could he face him now? He was going to have to move out now, didn’t he..?

Good god, they were so _stupid!_

They were both in separate rooms and their own heads thinking they were _so_ stupid. So stupid for agreeing to kiss just to get Kiyi to stop bothering them. So stupid for not just stopping after the first peck. So stupid for just automatically melting into more.

They were, in fact, stupid. They were _so_ stupid. Except not for the reasons they thought.

They were stupid for pulling away. So damn stupid for not realising the other had been just as into it as them. So god damn stupid that they were now avoiding each other instead of just talking about it.

Sokka looked at Kiyi with a puzzling gaze.

“Why did you ask us to kiss if you think kisses are gross?”

She shrugged with a mischievous smile. The young man leant his head back against the wall and sighed.

Why had they done this? They ruined everything and for what? For a 5-year-old who didn’t understand boundaries or love or the importance of certainty. A 5-year-old who was seemingly dead-set on ruining things for them. Or maybe she was dead-set on making him see that his feelings were one-sided…

He had been quite sure though… After testing all day, and thinking back to the stupid things they had said or done in the past… He thought… No, he had been _certain_..!

After this moment of absolute stupidity though… He wasn’t so sure anymore.

They spent the rest of the day apart from each other. Sitting on other ends of the couch at the very least.

There were no smiles shared when Kiyi did something cute, no jokes about stupid things, or teasing about lighthearted things. Sokka didn’t even mention the way Zuko’s hair was a mess. He was awfully aware he was the one who did that but he didn’t tell him that.

There was no eye-rolling or head-shaking. There weren’t even any lingering looks or secret, pining gazes.

There was nothing.

Just quiet words exchanged with Kiyi.

Sokka made dinner early. Kiyi had asked for soup and he just decided to make it from scratch. They had the ingredients so why not? It took a lot of cutting veggies and prepping things, so that had to keep his mind off the kiss right?

It did not.

He almost cut in his hand several times just because his brain drifted to the reminder of the feeling of Zuko’s lips on his own. His taste had always been a mystery but now he knew. He knew the feeling of Zuko’s tongue against his own. That one was a whole new level compared to feeling Zuko’s tongue on his lips. No this was… more intimate… more intense… more of _exactly_ what he wanted.

The thought of saying fuck it and just walking over to him to ask _if maybe he meant that kiss_ raced through his mind over and over.

Should he just do it? Should he just ask him if he had kissed him like that because he wanted it too? Should he just walk over and tell him how he felt and ask him if maybe just maybe Zuko felt the same way? Should he walk over and just kiss him again and this time not back away when their tongues came into play? Should he wait till after Ursa had picked Kiyi up so that they could just be alone? Would he still kiss him if Kiyi wasn’t there to bother them?

All were compelling thoughts, but none were helping with the amount of anxiety that had arisen inside Sokka’s mind. So instead, he kept cooking. He diced the carrots smaller than they needed to be. He diced everything smaller than necessary, really. He cooked the water for too long. Almost added the wrong ingredients and then immediately followed that mistake by pouring in too much of something else and having to start over again.

In the meantime, Zuko was sitting on the couch with his fingers on his lips. It had been an hour since the kiss and his mind couldn’t focus on anything else. His lips still tingled from the pressure of Sokka’s mouth against his and it was both everything and not enough at the same time.

He was leaning his elbow on the armrest in such a way that if Sokka looked at him it would look like he was just simply leaning on his hand, but instead, he was just touching his lips with his eyes closed, trying to remember the exact feeling of Sokka.

He tried with all his might to not think about how his tongue had felt. He couldn’t deal with that right now. Not with Kiyi glued to his side as they watched something on tv Zuko was barely aware of.

So instead he focused on the memory of his soft lips, his stubble, and his taste. That was a lot to focus on anyway. It was a lot but, once again, also not enough.

They barely spoke for the rest of the time that Kiyi was there. The poor thing really didn’t like it and she felt guilty for what she had done, even though she didn’t even understand what that was. They’d have to apologise for that later, Sokka thought. He couldn’t get himself to do that now though. He was still panicking. Still thinking about what Zuko was going to do the second she left.

One of the things he imagined was the moment they closed the door behind her and Ursa, Zuko would tell him to get lost. Another was Zuko just straight up grabbing his suitcase and throwing his things into it and kicking him out. Zuko yelling at him, or packing his own things to go stay with Iroh were other options his head came up with. None of them were even remotely close to okay.

As he stood in the bathroom, trying to calm down his anxiety, he heard Zuko apologise to his little sister. He smiled to himself. At least he had the guts to confront what had happened.

When he walked out of the bathroom and Zuko took his place, Sokka walked over to the little girl and did the same. She hugged him and said sorry for bothering them. Sokka held her cute little face in both his hands and kissed her forehead.

“There is nothing to be sorry for, sweetie. These things happen.” He couldn’t possibly be mad at her. She didn’t even understand what she had done.

Zuko too listened in on them and smiled to himself. They’d be alright. No matter what happened now, they’d be alright as friends. It hurt to think that they’d never be more, but he was beyond thankful that they would be okay as friends nonetheless.

“Will you braid my hair, Zuzu?” Kiyi asked sweetly when Zuko reappeared.

“Of course, sweetie.” He sat down behind her on the floor and started carding his fingers through her hair.

Sokka had walked to the kitchen to get him and Kiyi something to drink.

“You want something, Zuko?” He asked as he carefully looked over at him. It was the first thing they said to each other after the kiss. Zuko didn’t look up, he couldn’t look him in the eye right now. That’d be too much. He knew they’d be okay but… he couldn’t think about just being friends… it would hurt too much.

“No.” He said with a tone that sounded harsher than he had meant it.

 _Shit_.

“Okay,” Sokka said without letting his tone sound as sad as he felt. He hoped.

He brought Kiyi’s drink over to her and then sat down on the couch. Despite Zuko knowing they would be alright after this, Sokka wasn’t sure at all. His uncertainty weighed down on him as he watched the two bond.

When after 15 more minutes he had enough of his sadness and self-pity, he put his drink down and sat on the floor behind Zuko. Zuko didn’t even look up when he started braiding his hair.

After a moment Sokka paused, slowly leant forward, and placed his chin on Zuko’s shoulder.

“Hey..” He whispered nervously.

“Hm?” Zuko moved his head to press it against Sokka’s for a second.

“Are we good?”

The fear in Sokka’s voice cut deep in Zuko’s heart and he almost turned around to hug him. Or kiss him again. He couldn’t though. That’d be all wrong.

“Yeah.” His voice was light as he gave a small nod.

Sokka breathed out and relaxed on his shoulder. He hung his arms around him and pressed their heads together. “Good.” He whispered.

Zuko moved all of Kiyi’s hair into the one hand and then used his now free hand to touch Sokka’s face, as he pressed his own face closer too. Sandwiched in between Zuko’s head and hand, and breathing in his scent, Sokka finally started to believe they’d be alright.

They sat there like that for a while. Their eyes closed, just simply breathing.

When they took too long Kiyi told Zuko to get back to braiding before her mom got there to pick her up. The boys laughed softly and moved away. Zuko continued to braid her hair, and Sokka continued to braid his.

“Oh no,” Zuko said when the bell rang. “I forgot a hair tie.”

This time Sokka moved all the hair into one hand and stuck out his arm next to Zuko’s head. It took him a solid second before he realised there was a hair tie around his wrist. He carefully took it off, reveling in the way his skin felt against his own. After spending several hours further apart he craved his touch even more than usual.

He put the tie around her braid and then sent her to open up the door for her mom as Sokka finished his braid. He had to kind of rush through it, he hadn’t really been focussed on the actual braiding, but rather spent all the time focusing on the feeling of his hair in his hands.

He quickly finished it up. He tried to ignore the fact that Zuko shivered as he took a hold of the hairs in his neck. It was hard to ignore it. In fact, he wanted to tease him about it. He wanted to lean in and whisper to him with his lips on his ear. He wanted to play with the hairs in the nape of his neck to make him shiver again. He wanted to press his lips in his neck, to the spot he was most sensitive, and whisper promises of love and care and devotion.

_You can be sensitive around me. You can let your guard down. I love you. I will always protect you. All your most sensitive areas I will gently press my lips to until you feel safe._

He shook himself from his thoughts, removed the hair tie from his wolf-tail, and tied up Zuko’s braid. With a pat on the shoulders, Zuko was told he could leave and he quickly got up to greet his mother. He didn’t even know what Sokka had just been thinking. What Sokka had just wanted to say to him.

When Sokka got up though, he locked eyes with Ursa and Sokka thought that maybe he had taken too long to finish up the braid, because she looked at him as if she knew exactly what had just happened. He smiled at her with heat in his cheeks and then quickly went to pack up the last of Kiyi’s toys.

Ursa greeted her kids with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Zuko’s cheeks were flushed and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Did I just kiss a cheek that had already been claimed by someone?” She whispered with a gentle smirk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zuko whispered back.

Sokka stepped over with Kiyi’s bags and asked her if she wanted to stay for a drink.

“Nah, you two must be tired.” She shrugged loosely as she picked up her daughter. “We’ll come over again soon.” Kiyi cheered at that and said she wanted to stay forever.

The three adults laughed warmly. As they did so Ursa noticed the boys weren’t as close to each other as they usually were and she made a mental note of it so she could ask her son about that later.

When Sokka got a call from Katara he said goodbye to them both, gave Kiyi a quick kiss, and excused himself to his bedroom to talk to his sister.

“Did something happen between you two?” Ursa asked her son, unsure of what emotion to add to that. They were standing further apart so it seemed like it was bad, but then again, why would it be? She knew for a fact both boys were head over heels in love with each other.

“Did something happen after we video called?” She asked, now concerned because her son wouldn’t answer her.

Zuko was quiet because he was thinking. Thinking about all the things that had happened and the reasons why. When things seemed to finally click in Zuko’s head he closed his eyes and groaned.

“Did you send your toddler over here to set us up?”

“Nooooooo- did it work?” Her tone was fakely innocent.

“Mom..!” Zuko whined.

“Did you admit it at least?” She asked, her gaze now also concerned.

“not yet…”

“Does she need to stay another day?” She threatened.

“Oh god no.” He reached out to caress Kiyi’s cheek. “I love you very much.” He told her, but then faced his mother again. “but I need to do this myself.” (He won’t)

Ursa nodded at her son. “You’re right.” Her hand landed on his upper arm. “You have to _do_ it though. You have to let go of your fears and do it.”

Zuko frowned. “Soon. I think. I hope.”

“Did something happen?”

Zuko looked up questioningly. So much had happened. So incredibly much. He didn’t know what she was referring to or what he should start with.

“You two stood further apart than usual.” Ursa elaborated.

“They kissed.” Kiyi betrayed Zuko before he could give her a different answer.

“What..?!” She whisper-yelled at her son, not wanting Sokka to hear it.

“Only because Kiyi kept bothering us about it..! She kept telling us to kiss all day and we were sick of it, okay..?! And now…. now things are weird…”

“Did he kiss back?”

“God, yes.” He exclaimed with a laugh, his heart racing at the memory.

Ursa shot him a look. She was starting to be absolutely done with her son’s obliviousness. If the boys didn’t get together this week, she was going to personally intervene the next weekend. It was ridiculous.

“Look, we both mutually agreed to kiss just so she’d stop asking us to, and then… we got a little bit too into it…” He shivered at the memory. “…and now things are weird. I can’t look him in the eye now that I know what… his lips feel like…” He bonked his head against the doorframe. “God, why am I so stupid..?”

Ursa smiled warmly. “That I don’t know, my dear.”

Zuko looked up with a groan.

“I’d love to help you with this, but I think you two need to do this yourselves. And also, I think Kiyi is falling asleep.”

Zuko nodded at his mom understandably. “Yeah, you should go home.”

Ursa woke her up a little bit and then put her down on the ground so she could walk by herself while she carried her bags. Zuko hugged his little sister and then she sleepily waddled into the house to hug Sokka as well.

“Bye Soso! Love you!” She called into the house as she ran back to her mom.

Sokka walked out of his room with a laugh. “Love you too, sweetie.” He accidentally let his gaze wander over to Zuko, who immediately flushed red and looked away. It was almost like he had said the love you to him instead of his sister. Like he had meant it in a different way.

Ursa shot him an apologetic look. She caressed his cheek and kissed his forehead. “Take care of yourself.” By that, she meant _go get your man so that you two can finally be together and be as happy as you could be._

She waved at Sokka, said another bye, and then walked away.

“We should do this again!” Sokka called after them.

“We should!!” Kiyi called back.

The adults laughed at her again and then Zuko closed the door.

Sokka’s heart-rate picked up the second he heard the lock turn. His vision went blurry. This was the moment Zuko was going to scold him, or worse. He took in a deep breath and readied himself for what was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger? In my story? It's more likely than you think! 😂 Sorry! 😬
> 
> I promise tomorrow's chapter is going to be great! I mean it's like 10k in words so it's gotta be..! 😅
> 
> Please please please let me know your thoughts! Your comments have been giving me life and I don't think I've been this happy in months so thank you so so so much! ❤️
> 
> EDIT: Unfortunately some personal things came up and I am unable to post the final chapter today. I will do my best to upload it tomorrow. So sorry!! 😔


	8. The Final Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is one last hurdle the boys must get past before they can finally admit their feelings to each other; Major Anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof! It's finally here! I'm so sorry I couldn't post it yesterday. Some personal things came up and there was just no time to proofread and post it, sorry! 
> 
> I really hope you will like it! ❤️

Sokka stood there, frozen in the middle of the room. His heart was beating so fast he could hear it pounding in his head.

Zuko, who hadn’t even noticed his panicked state, moved to clean up the last of the mess that Kiyi had made.

“Can you help with this?” He asked without looking up at Sokka.

His friend did not reply. Sokka just stood there, completely stuck in his head, the words not registering one bit. There was so much panic inside of him. So many thoughts were racing through his head.

Finally, Zuko looked up to see where Sokka had gone. He spotted him in the middle of the room and frowned.

“Sokka? You okay?”

No response.

He furrowed his brows further and walked over to him.

“Sokka?” He waved his hand in front of his face. “Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

Sokka finally registered the words and he blinked to get out of his head.

Zuko’s smile was soft. “There you are.” He touched his arm to stop him from getting lost in his own head again.

Sokka searched his face. His eyes darted all over the place, his expression was pained and uncertain, and his mouth kept opening and closing. He wanted to ask, _where is the outburst? Where is the scolding? When do I have to leave?_

Zuko stepped closer, his gaze worried. “What’s wrong?”

Sokka’s breath shuddered. “We’re…. okay?” He needed a reminder and he needed it now.

Zuko looked away with rosy cheeks. He sucked his lower lip in between his teeth nervously, but he nodded. “We’re okay.”

Sokka let out a breath and fell into Zuko’s arms. He hugged him so tightly it hurt a little bit.

“I thought you’d kick me out or something.”

Zuko pushed him away to look at him incredulously. “For kissing me?” He swallowed away the shudder that was pushing its way out. “It was a mutual agreement.”

Sokka’s gaze fell down to Zuko’s lips. “Yeah…”

The moment seemed to freeze as they stood there. Zuko was aware Sokka’s eyes were on his lips, and in turn, he just looked at Sokka’s mouth too. Instead of feeling embarrassed, he felt himself leaning closer. He felt his breathing evening out. He felt his eyelids becoming heavier the longer he looked.

Kiyi would have interrupted them by now if she had still been there.

It was as if they both realised that at the same time. They looked up at each other’s eyes. Sokka let out a nervous laugh, and Zuko automatically joined him. Even without Kiyi here she was still interrupting them.

“Help me clean up the mess?” He asked, pointing over his shoulder.

Sokka’s gaze moved over to the toys they owned for her and hadn’t cleaned up yet.

“Yeah, of course.”

They talked quietly as they cleaned. Never about the kiss or about their feelings though. It was always about small things, unimportant things, irrelevant things.

After cleaning up the last mess they finally sat down on the couch to relax. Sokka waited about a minute before laying his head down on Zuko’s lap. He needed their usual closeness. He needed the comfort of his touch.

Zuko almost instantly moved one of his hands into Sokka’s hair. Now that his hair was loose there was plenty to play with and he loved it. His other hand caressed his cheek before he realised what he was doing. When he did realise he immediately felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly moved it to relax on Sokka’s chest instead.

Sokka had loved the casual tenderness of the touch. He missed it instantly.

After a couple of minutes of quietly sitting there, both men tired and lost in thought, Sokka picked up the hand on his chest and brought it to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles, earning a chuckle from the older guy. It was a nervous one, but Sokka hadn’t heard those nerves.

“If anyone should be kissing a hand it’s me.” He let out more quietly than he had planned. “How does it feel?” He added when Sokka inspected his painful hand.

He shrugged. “Could be worse.”

Zuko took a hold of it and brought it up to his lips. He was all too aware Sokka was looking at him, so he closed his eyes before pressing his lips to it.

Sokka watched him intently. The sight of Zuko kissing his hand with his eyes closed was truly something else. The feeling of their hands together… The feeling of his lips pressing against his sore bruises… The feeling of his breath ghosting past his skin… Sokka had to suppress a shiver to not wake Zuko from this moment.

Afterward, Zuko moved away only partially and Sokka tried to cup his cheek. Zuko, obviously, agreed that was a good idea, so he moved his hand over and leant into his palm.

“I want kids.” Sokka breathed at him. _With you_. He didn’t say it but he thought it so loudly that it felt like Zuko knew.

“Yeah, I do too.” He whispered.

His eyes opened and they spent minutes just gazing at each other.

Sokka opened his mouth to ask a question. To ask if he could kiss him… for _real_ this time… finally… but Zuko’s phone went off distracting him from their gaze, and so all that came out was, “Zuko, can I…” _kiss you for real this time?_

Zuko looked at his phone and saw that it was his sister and he had about 20 messages from her. He did not know how he could’ve missed those. His phone wasn’t on silent. Had they really been that caught up in the moment?

“Shit, it’s Azula.”

Him and Azula were in a difficult situation. He was trying to forgive her for everything she had done, and she was trying to learn to be her own person instead of what Ozai had turned her into. It was tough for them both. Thankfully they both had a therapist to help them out with it.

He got up from underneath Sokka and walked into his bedroom to take the call.

Sokka laid on the couch with his eyes closed tightly. He let out a sigh until he no longer had any air in his lungs. He sat up and started to scroll through Netflix for something to watch.

Azula called about a sexuality crisis because she was going out and there was this cute girl and she thought she was flirting but she’s not good at that stuff, and then she _kissed_ me!!! what do I do?!!

When he came back from the phone call he told Sokka she was having a gay crisis. “There was a cute girl who kissed her and now she’s thinking she might like girls. Dad ought to love that.” Zuko chuckled bitterly.

Sokka sighed quietly and said, “At least she’s having the gay.” He tried to sound positive. He really wanted to say, _at least she’s getting gay kissed. Unlike me!!_

Zuko looked at him and for a moment thought maybe he knew what Sokka meant. He was thinking he might even know what Sokka was about to say before Azula called him. He considered answering with, _hey you could have the gay right now too_. Or _I’m a gay, you can have me_. Unfortunately, his guts weren’t present at the time, and he chickened out.

“What did you want to say? Before she called.” He asked instead.

He wanted to ask, _did you want to say can I kiss you, 'cause if you did then you can._

Sokka waved it off. “Nothing important. How is she?”

Zuko laid down with his head in Sokka’s lap this time and shrugged slightly. “Panicking. She hadn’t realised that she liked girls yet until this one kissed her.” He laughed softly. “The first thing she said was, can I be gay? like I don’t know sis I am, I’m sure you can be too.”

Sokka’s fingers threaded through his hair, messing up the already messy braid. “Should you be going to her?”

“With this headache? To a club? No thanks.”

Sokka tried to feel around his head but found the braid got in the way. He pulled off the tie, put it back around his wrist, and started to carefully detangle the braid. Zuko shivered at the touches and the gentle tugging of hair.

When all was undone he felt around again and found a pretty large bump. He frowned. “I thought we iced it enough.”

Zuko touched his friend’s swollen hand. “I thought both of us did.”

Sokka closed his eyes at the feeling of their hands being together, the feeling of sitting like that, touching hair and hands, and gazing at each other.. It was everything he wanted.. except he wanted more too…. Oh god, how he wanted to kiss him…. but then Zuko yawned loudly and his heart sank.

Why did it always have to go like this? His confidence would build-up, his _hopes_ would build up… and then nothing happened and his heart would sink. He was getting really tired of it.

“Hm I think it’s time for bed,” Zuko said as he settled in further.

Sokka nodded at him. “Yeah…” He threaded his fingers through his hair more tightly. Not in a painful way, but more in a way that let him know he was welcome to stay.

They sat like that for a few more minutes until Zuko yawned again. “Alright..” He said with his eyes closed. “I think it’s time I actually go.”

He still didn’t get up. He wanted to stay. He wanted to be in Sokka’s arms. He wanted to hold him and be held and kiss him and… he wouldn’t ever dare to ask for that. He _wanted_ it but he didn’t dare.

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna go sleep too,” Sokka said with a nod of his head.

To that Zuko finally got up and Sokka slapped himself in his mind for making him get up. It had been so nice. He could’ve stayed like that all night. It didn’t matter that he was exhausted.

Zuko got up and mourned the loss of warmth and touch. He instantly missed the comfort and the love that had been so prominent in the moment.

He regretted getting up. He should have just teased him and stayed there, not letting him get up. He should have played around a bit longer so that maybe Sokka would kiss him to get him to finally move up and then he could have kissed him back and moved up slightly and pushed him against the back of the couch and sat on his lap and searched for his tongue and-

 _Okay_. It was time to calm down. Maybe one day he’d get what he wanted. Maybe. _Hopefully_.

For now, he had to brush his teeth and get into his sleep shirt and just lie in bed and mourn the loss of Sokka’s closeness in peace.

Sokka teased him while they brushed their teeth. Zuko teased him back just a little bit. He was reminded of that morning when Sokka had been in the shower and Kiyi had been telling him stories and he had sat there wishing he could sketch it.

He would have to do that tomorrow. If he actually got to sleep properly that night and didn’t get distracted by the constant reminder of the feeling of Sokka’s lips against his own.

Sokka almost kissed him goodnight when they finally retreated to their own rooms. He didn’t though. It wasn’t the end of the world. They were happy like this. Except that every time he almost kissed him but didn’t, it hurt a little bit more.

Zuko thought, for a moment, that he had seen Sokka think about it. He had thought, for a moment, that maybe he should be the one to step over and do it himself. But they had both thought, for a moment, that the other didn’t want such a thing at all. And so, for a moment, they were both _terribly_ wrong.

They both spent half the night awake and thinking about the kisses. The first one and the second.

Zuko decided to humour his mom and tell her about it, since he had about 37 messages from her asking about all the details.

Sokka was in the other room also texting someone. Since Katara had been so supportive the night before, he decided he was going to tell her about that day too.

Around 3 am Zuko remembered to send Sokka the photos he had taken of them and the selfies he had taken himself. Sokka replied within a second.

> **Soso 03:04am:** Go to bed.
> 
> **Zuzu 03:04am:** I am in bed.
> 
> **Soso 03:04am:** Then go sleep
> 
> **Zuzu 03:04am:** You’re one to say, you’re awake too!!
> 
> **Soso 03:05am:** Touché
> 
> **Zuzu 03:05am:** I thought you said it was toosh?
> 
> **Soso 03:06am:** You’re very difficult to please

Zuko thought about that. He had to disagree. It was very easy to please him. Just a simple kiss would suffice. He decided not to send that though.

> **Zuzu 03:06am:** Will you just go sleep
> 
> **Soso 03:07am:** Alright baby goodnight!! 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

Zuko blushed at his phone. Sokka always knew how to tease him in a way that would last. Damn the guy. He decided not to reply and instead actually go to bed.

Sokka regretted sending that. He knew if he hadn’t teased they would’ve texted back and forth the rest of the night. But now Zuko was going to ignore him and just try to sleep, probably.

He put his phone away and sighed as he tried to settle into his pillow. He decided to figure out a way to finally, actually, for real this time, make a move. A move that couldn’t possibly be interrupted.

Unfortunately, before he could come up with something he was already asleep.

The next morning, Sokka woke up before Zuko did. He stretched, yawned, and then decided to stay in bed.

He didn’t leave his bed until he heard Zuko get in the shower. He wasn’t sure why he waited. It wasn’t like he was scared to face him, he thought to himself. Except that he was. It wasn’t necessarily a terrified kind of scared, but more just his anxiety being on hyperdrive searching for reasons why Zuko couldn’t possibly feel the same way. Finding reasons why Zuko most definitely hated him now.

Zuko stayed in the shower longer than was needed, but he just didn’t feel like facing Sokka. As much as he loved him, and that was _a lot_ , he felt a little bit angry with him that the guy kept playing with his feelings. He was angry that he didn’t seem to care what he felt or thought and instead just kept teasing him. Deep down he knew this wasn’t true at all but, Sokka wasn’t the only one with anxiety.

He also knew that this wasn’t just on Sokka, since he didn’t make a move himself either. He never dared to be as affectionate as he wanted to be or to say that he loved him. He never dared to initiate most forms of intimacy that he wanted, _craved_ even. He wasn’t even sure if he had ever initiated any form of intimacy himself. He couldn’t remember a single time.

If he had said that to Sokka, the guy would’ve spent the next 30 minutes giving him a list of the times he initiated affection. He would tell him that just _yesterday_ he had initiated so many soft touches and hugs, he had played with his hair, he had called him _babe_.

Maybe it was for the better then, that he wasn’t sharing his thoughts with Sokka. He didn’t want to face those memories just yet.

Finally, Zuko turned off the shower and got ready for the day.

When he walked into the kitchen he was both determined and still a little bit angry. The anger surrounding Sokka’s ease with teasing and flirting definitely came from jealousy, and so that’s why he had hyped himself up to be the tease today. _He_ wanted to be the one to be affectionate today. He was _going_ to be.

He walked over with confident strides and stepped close behind him where he was cooking. For a moment, he was reminded that this was a thing he always did. He always just stood behind Sokka and wrapped his arms around him and leant close. He had been doing that for the past two years.

He _did_ actually initiate affection. He just did so _subconsciously_.

The realisation somehow erased a part of his confidence, and then when Sokka absentmindedly kissed his cheek with a soft good morning, his anger flared up. Why was Sokka so good at this? Why did it always fluster him?

It was because he was in love with the guy, but Zuko didn’t realise that this was the ( _obvious)_ reason.

He breathed deeply to calm himself and then leant closer. He was going to be loving and affectionate if it _killed_ him.

…and at this rate, it just might, because Sokka leant into his touch and Zuko felt himself melt.

Sokka’s hand came up to ruffle Zuko’s messy shower hair and when he leant forward to smell their breakfast Sokka leant in and kissed his cheek again.

You see, Sokka had become rather determined that today was the day he was going to come clean. One way or another he was going to tell Zuko how he felt. The only problem with that was that his anxiety was now through the roof… and so he couldn’t help but test the waters again. Like the last two days hadn’t happened at all. Like his mind hadn’t already decided that there was no chance in _hell_ that Zuko didn’t like him back.

Katara even had to remind him that most people don’t just kiss other people if they don’t want to. Last night Sokka had bombarded her with his insecurities and she had simply texted him back one long reply calling him out on his bullshit.

“Really Sokka, how could you possibly think that he would just kiss you for the hell of it? He isn’t even that kind of guy! Would you randomly make out with Aang? Would Zuko? Of course not! Most people don’t just go around randomly kissing their best friend. No matter how close they are! If you’re not in love with them, you wouldn’t just make out with them. You know it’s true for you. And it’s also true for Zuko.” Was a part of it. A fraction of it, really.

So now, Sokka found himself constantly thinking of making a move, becoming determined, and then his anxiety interfering, rendering him useless…

They spent half an hour cooking breakfast and quietly chatting about all sorts of things. Sokka had kissed Zuko’s cheek and temple several times now, still testing the waters, and thankfully liking what he saw..

Zuko was going insane because of it. He had stepped out of the shower determined to be the affectionate one today, and here Sokka was, kissing him constantly, but not in the way that he should..!

He had to leave for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

_You got this, Zuko. You just need to get your shit together. He’s kissing you. That has to be a good sign. Don’t overthink it. He’s not teasing you just to get you to burst. He’s not trying to provoke a fight just so he can make you spill your guts and he has a reason to leave. Wait. Is he looking for a reason to leave- No. No no no. Don’t even go there. The cheek kisses are a good sign. They’ve gotta be. You’re going to walk in there and you’re going to be affectionate and you’re going to tell him the truth._

When he came back to stand behind him again he faced his other side this time. He wrapped his arms around his waist, allowed Sokka to lean into his touch, and placed his head on his shoulder. He nuzzled his face into his neck.

He was trembling from his anxiety, but he was going to do this. He had to. He pressed his lips to his neck, not in a kiss but just to lean against him. He felt Sokka get goosebumps and his heart fluttered.

Things were going pretty well. He could do this. As long as Sokka didn’t… do what he was doing right now….

He was leaning against his head and kissing his hair.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm. You?”

“I slept like a rock. I was exhausted.” He laughed, ruffled Zuko’s hair, and then got back to stirring their food.

Zuko’s heart was sinking. Sokka had always been like this. This platonic, affectionate behaviour was just Sokka’s usual. It didn’t mean anything. It obviously didn’t mean that he liked him.

He felt frustration build up in his chest. How had he let his heart believe Sokka liked him? How had he allowed that hope in? Now the inevitable rejection was just going to hurt even more…

 _Oof_. The mood swings..! One day he was probably going to die from his anxiety deciding different things every two minutes.

He stood there, his heart hurting, as he held onto his waist a tad too tight.

Sokka could feel the tension in his body and wanted nothing more than to ease it. And so, for the 15th time that morning, he turned his face and kissed his cheek once more.

“Will you stop kissing me?” Zuko exclaimed, his frustrations getting the better of him.

Sokka couldn’t quite place what emotion was in his voice. It almost sounded _sad_?

“What if I say no?” He teased carefully and then kissed his cheek again. Well, that's what he had been going for but, Zuko was turning his face to look at him and… he kissed the corner of his mouth.

They both froze, their lips still touching. Their hearts hammering in their chests. _Maybe_ , Sokka was thinking, _third time’s a charm?_

They each breathed in a shaky breath and Sokka turned, dropping the spoon he was holding. He let out a soft, thoughtful hum.

Zuko’s eyes darted all over his face. _Did he…_ His breathing was fast and trembling. His heart was racing in his chest. _Did he want this…?_ He licked his lips nervously.

Sokka slowly moved away an inch or two, his gaze moving to those lips. Zuko’s shuddering breaths passed over his face and he wondered if the shakiness meant that he was afraid.

“Are you scared?” He whispered. He was trembling too. His eyes still fixated on his lips. He could see them quivering.

Zuko’s answer came out in a whisper. “No.” _I’m hopeful._

It was barely audible but Sokka had still heard it. And because of that one little word, he finally dared to look up at Zuko’s eyes. to his surprise, he saw that he was telling the truth. He did not see fear, he saw _sheer desperation_.

He blinked a few times, trying to register what that meant, and then the desperation of his gaze clicked, and his brain finally made sense of things. Suddenly everything made sense and his anxiety disappeared completely.

In a heartbeat, he leant in again and kissed him fully.

He kissed him right on the lips and pulled him closer by his cheek to moment his hand had found it. Zuko let out a soft gasp when Sokka released his lips to breathe, before kissing him back eagerly. Sokka blindly turned off the stove and then pushed his love against the island counter behind him, kissing him desperately.

Zuko wasn’t sure what was happening, except he knew that all his dreams seemed to be coming true at once. Sokka was _kissing_ him and he was kissing _back_ and pulling him closer and he had his hands in his hair and Sokka had a hand on his chest and the other on his cheek and he was kissing him _so_ good.

Zuko licked his lips once more. He wanted this. He had wanted this for years and now… _finally_ … he knew that Sokka wanted it too. This time he licked his lips knowing he was doing it, and definitely not pulling away right after. He had made that mistake twice in the past two days and he was _not_ doing it again.

 _Ah, there’s that tongue again._ Sokka thought. _Finally._

Sokka opened his mouth gladly, finally being able to feel that tongue again, without it immediately leaving again. It had been on his mind an awful lot. He was so happy to finally be able to taste him properly. Finally getting what he had been _wanting_ for so damn long.

After several minutes of full-on making out Zuko had to push him away to catch his breath. There weren’t a lot of breathing opportunities while kissing that passionately.

He wanted to ask, _how can you do this for so long? Don’t you need to breathe?_ But he decided that it was more important to catch his breath so they could get back to kissing each other immediately.

Sokka bit his lip nervously, trying to figure out what Zuko was thinking. Kiyi hadn’t been there to make them do this. He didn’t push him away though, so he took that as a good sign. He tried to read the expression on his face, but all he got was that he was flustered. Sokka felt flustered himself so that much made sense.

Zuko was just standing there, leaning backward on the counter, catching his breath. He was unreadable.

The second it felt better again he took a hold of his head with both hands and leant in to plant several kisses on Sokka’s cheek, instead of his lips. It startled Sokka a little bit. Of all the things he thought Zuko could do or say in the moment.. none of them were this.

“Should I have been returning all of those kisses for the past… how long has it been?” He asked against his skin.

Sokka couldn’t help himself when he started to chuckle. All his worries fell away.

“I love you.” He breathed it out in a laugh.

Zuko backed off, his eyes wide. There was no doubt about it. After kissing him like that, and for that long, he could only mean that in one way. And so, he couldn’t help himself when he kissed him harshly in reply. He held his face in both his hands still and kissed him with _a lot_ of passion. So much in fact, that after a few minutes, Sokka’s head started to spin.

As if Zuko could sense it he slowed down.

He kissed him deeply once more but this time it was different. It was slow, their tongues together but not moving much, as they lingered. Like they finally believed that this was actually happening.

After another minute of lingering close together, Zuko backed away slowly.

“I love you, too.”

Sokka’s eyes watered when he heard the words for the first time. He had wanted to hear those words for years. Even just as friends Sokka told Zuko he loved him all the time, but Zuko could never say it back. It had hurt sometimes, made his anxiety think he didn’t love him at all, but after all this waiting and longing… _it was worth it._

“Be with me.” He pleaded.

“Have kids with me.” Zuko pleaded right back.

“Hah!” Sokka burst out a surprised laugh. He kissed him softly. “I wanted to say that yesterday.”

His face, as he admitted that, was so happy Zuko felt like he was melting all over again. His eyes started to sting a little bit. This had been such a long time coming.

_Finally._

“Yesterday morning when I woke you two up I wanted to kiss you so bad. I wanted to tell you, _I wanna have babies with you, Zuko. I want to wake up next to you with our baby in our arms._ ”

Zuko kissed him happily. He just couldn’t help himself. After all these years of waiting… After these past two _torturous_ days… he could finally just simply lean in and kiss him. None of the consequences he had been so afraid of… None of the rejection he was so sure he would get… None of the hurt he had expected… No yelling, no fighting, no broken friendships, no pain, no tears…. just _love_.

Sokka ran the back of his hand along Zuko’s scar. There was a kind of smile on his lips that Zuko had seen a hundred times before but had never been able to place… He could place it now though: it was love.

“…and later when we sat on the counter… and also Saturday at the park… And yesterday morning in the shower…” Sokka continued as if Zuko hadn’t just zoned out from whatever Sokka had been saying before.

Oh right. Kids.

“And in the store…” He agreed.

Sokka looked at him for a moment. His hands now on Zuko’s hips. He was reminded of their moments in the store a day earlier. Zuko had been deeply lost in thought and then just moments later had accidentally called him babe.

“Speaking of which…” There was mischief in his voice. “What were you _really_ thinking about in the store yesterday?”

“Huh?” Zuko tried to play dumb.

“Yesterday in the store. You were thinking so loud I could almost hear it. We were in the aisle with all the soup.”

As soon as he said _aisle_ Zuko started blushing again.

Sokka looked at him for a moment and then thought, _no… it can’t be…_ “No… Were you… were you thinking about… about a certain… aisle..?”

“Whaaaat?”

“Zuko.” There was a smirk on Sokka’s lips that Zuko desperately wanted to kiss away. Except he wanted to defend himself, and the places his mind had gone in the store even more.

“Hey! You hooked your arm with mine and then walked me down an aisle! What was I supposed to do… not imagine Kiyi skipping down the aisle in a glittery dress you picked for her as she sprinkles flower petals everywhere? Was I not supposed to imagine you in a ridiculous outfit that matched the blue of your eyes? Or myself i-”

Sokka kissed him abruptly, his hands on either side of his face.

“I adore you.”

Zuko blushed. “Oh, you don’t even know..” He admitted carefully.

“Huh?”

“How much I have adored you. Every time I saw you be good with Kiyi I adored you more. Every time I thought, _he’s gonna be the other father of my kids. He has to be._ ”

Sokka kissed him again. He wanted to comment on Zuko’s words, wanted to tell him they sounded like poetry, but the last few words caught him off guard. _The father of my kids._ He had tears in his eyes when he replied.

“I _love_ you.” He kissed him again. “I know it’s a bit early to say that bu-”

Zuko cut him off with a laugh. He couldn’t stop smiling. “Early? It’s been six years..!”

Sokka blinked, his eyes watery. It had been six years for them both? They had both really just spent six whole entire years pining for each other, huh? Six years of wanting to hold hands, of wanting to be close, of wanting, no _yearning,_ to kiss cheeks and foreheads and lips.

All this time… All these things that they held in… and all these little things that they did or said just because they simply _had_ to show their love somehow… What a waste…

“You too, huh?” His face was pained.

Zuko nodded with a shrug, his face looking equally pained.

Sokka hugged him tightly, pressing his nose in the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent.

“I love you, Sokka.”

Sokka backed off and smiled at him with tears now streaming down his face. He wanted to say something but Zuko didn’t let him.

He brought his hand up to press a single finger to Sokka’s lips. To which Sokka took a hold of his hand and kissed down that finger, over to the rest of his hand. Zuko almost forgot what he wanted to say as he gazed at Sokka doing that. The feeling of his lips anywhere on his skin was almost electric. He had to shake his head to get back to his point.

“I know I never say those words… and it’s not that I never loved you.. oh, on the contrary.. I have _always_ loved you. Always. And so much.” He used the hand Sokka was kissing to put it under his chin and tilt his face up. He kissed his lips softly.

The following breath was shaky. This was very hard for him to say. But he knew, if ever, now was the time to push his boundaries. _Let’s start this with honesty._

“I just never dared to say those words as a friend, because I was afraid you’d see right through me and… well.. I never thought you…” He shook his head. “never…”

Sokka ran his fingers through his hair and kissed him again, soft and short. “I do. I lov- _oh_.. Oh, dear... Oh, I’d love to say those words to you one day… And we should definitely make Kiyi our flower girl… in glitters…” He blushed almost shyly at the thought of getting married. He’d do it in a heartbeat, but they had literally only just gotten themselves to admit their feelings to one another. One day though… One day.

“A-anyway.. what I wanted to say is.. I do love you. I always have. I can’t believe you thought I didn’t…”

Zuko blushed deeper as he shook his head. “Never in a million years… Yesterday… when you said I should’ve kissed you.. I thought you were teasing… I mean, you were. You definitely were. but… I thought you didn’t mean it… I thought…”

“You thought it was just a joke and nothing more… I really wanted you to, Zuko…” He looked down at his lips. The ones he had dreamt about so often. "Well… in all honesty… I never thought you returned my feelings either… I just thought… after that first kiss… I should at least try… See if maybe you’d kiss me if I just asked…” He blushed at the memory, but then a moment later smirked and leant in close.

“After you moved your tongue into it…” He stared at his lips, mesmerised. “Which wasn’t necessary at all by the way, especially with the first kiss..” He sighed happily. “You could have just moved away after the initial peck but no, you really went for it..! And the second time too..! We said we’d kiss, we didn’t say we’d make-out.” He teasingly dragged his lips over Zuko’s.

“You should definitely do that again though because that was.. something else… I know kissing usually involves tongues and all but… this felt different from any kiss I have ever shared…” He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to remember his original point.

“After that, I thought… maybe… maybe he does… and so I started testing it out…” He shrugged a little bit. For some reason, he felt awkward about it now. Maybe that was because it all seemed painfully obvious in hindsight.

Zuko’s mouth slowly opened with a quiet gasp. “Yesterday… All those comments… you were testing to see if I loved you..?” He carefully brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear. He could just do that now. He didn’t have to feel embarrassed for wanting to.

“Even after I gave all the wrong answers… you still knew?”

“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t sure… I thought I knew but… Some of your answers made it clear… the blushing and looking away certainly helped… but other things made me doubt it again. Really I’m not sure what I would’ve done if you hadn’t just turned your head when I went to kiss your cheek. I was determined to tell you today, but I had no idea how.” _And there was so much anxiety about it too. So much that it felt like I couldn’_ _t breathe right._ But he didn’t say that part.

Zuko raised an eyebrow at him. His eyes were wide with fondness and surprise.

“Wait you’re telling me the man with a plan did not.. actually have a plan..?”

Sokka blushed.

“It took me six years to think that maybe you actually liked me back, what makes you think I would’ve come up with a plan overnight?”

“Oh, you would though. You have.”

“Well, maybe those situations were just simple… trying to admit your feelings to the man you’ve been hopelessly in love with for six years, whose little sister is convinced you’re already together, is one hell of a task.”

Zuko laughed endearingly, his arms moving to hang loosely around his neck. _Hopelessly_ in love, huh?

“…especially if you mess up your best friendship if you’ve interpreted things wrong.”

Zuko nodded at him slowly. “Yeah.. that feeling is understandable… Although the thought of me not being utterly in love with you is frankly insane and outrageous.”

_Utterly in love._

Sokka couldn’t believe his ears. He was so happy he kissed him some more. He just couldn’t help himself. Luckily, he didn’t even have to anymore.

Zuko was slightly surprised by the sudden desperation of the kiss, and when they moved away from each other, though only a little bit, he looked at him with confusion written all over his face.

“You just said it so easily,” Sokka said with a shy shrug. “I’m not… used to hearing you say such a thing.”

Zuko pulled him closer, their foreheads and noses touching. “I’m sorry I never-”

“Shush.” Sokka cut him off with a soft whisper. He moved in to hover right in front of his lips. “Shh, it was worth the wait.” With every word, their lips touched briefly. Zuko wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay like that forever or if he just wanted to properly kiss him even more. Both had their perks.

Sokka decided it was time for another kiss. He leant in and tried to kiss him as softly as he could. He could stay like that forever too, he thought.

The soft pressing of soft lips, their scents mixing as well as their breaths… it was bliss. It was so perfect Zuko felt a lump form in this throat and there was a hot tightness behind his eyes. He sighed through his nose before pushing Sokka away.

“I’m sorry…” He was unable to say anything beyond those words. His throat felt tight. He shook his head trying to figure out what was happening. Why did he feel like crying? Why did he feel like he was hurting? He had never been happier, why would he hurt at all?

“Is it too much?”

“No. This is everything. _You_ _’_ _re_ everything.”

“Everything is a lot.” Sokka offered softly. “Maybe it’s a bit overwhelming?”

Zuko slumped against Sokka’s chest and let his arms hang loosely for a while. He spotted their breakfast on the stove and sighed. He moved away again, his hands lingering on Sokka’s shoulder blades.

“Breakfast is ruined.” He said with a face so serious Sokka couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“Do you think I care?” He kissed his cheek and then kissed a trail over to his ear, where he whispered, “I’d ignore every meal of the day if it meant I could kiss you.”

Zuko melted under his touch. His eyes rolled back into his head, his breathing slowed.

They took a moment to enjoy each other’s closeness. Just simply breathing and sharing body heat.

“So, you want kids now or later?” Zuko whispered eventually.

Sokka laughed and buried himself in his neck again. He kissed his skin softly a couple of times, before finally backing away.

“Soon.” He kissed his lips. “but let’s practice with Kiyi more first.”

“You know damn well she loves you.” Zuko laughed. The idea that Sokka thought he needed to practice taking care of kids was hilarious. The guy was a natural.

“I do know that.” Sokka raised his chin proudly. “But I also want to be perfect before we get our own.”

“So, we practice on my little sister?” Zuko raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yes,” Sokka said with a grin. Before Zuko could reply the younger man was already rambling about what they could do next.

“I was googling this morning, and I couldn’t really decide between the children’s museum and the aquarium, so I think we’re just gonna have to do both. There’s a couple of options really, some we can drive to, others we could take the train to. I think she’d like to take the train somewhere someday but then she would be exhausted at the end of the day so really she’d have to spend the night agai- Oh! What if we just go away somewhere further for a weekend? We could take her up north and get a little cabin and we cou-”

Zuko kissed him harshly. Tears were streaming down his face.

“I love you so, so, so much, but let’s take it one step at a time.”

He wasn’t sure why he had never been able to say those words. _I love you._ It was just so easy now. It was like he didn’t even have to think about it, they just fell out of his mouth. Perhaps it was because he had bottled up all of the I love yous he had wanted to say for the past six years, and now that he could say them, they were all falling out without warning.

Sokka blushed and kissed him softly. “You’re probably right. We have plenty of time.” His hands came up to brush away his tears.

They lingered close together. How was it suddenly so hard to step away from the other? Had it always been this hard? Neither of them could remember.

“Hey,” Sokka whispered, rubbing their noses together. “We should tell your mom and Katara. They’ve been pestering me all weekend.”

“Wait my mom has been pestering you?” Zuko frowned.

Sokka’s face suddenly became impossibly sheepish. “Yeah she uh… she knew… she knows how I feel about you.”

“Oh god. We owe her one hell of an apology then…” Zuko grimaced.

“You mean she knew about you too?”

“Yes, of course, she’s my mom.”

“Okay fair.” Sokka looked away for a moment. “Explains why she kept pushing me a little more than I was comfortable with…”

“How long has she known?”

Sokka blushed. “Too long.”

“Explains why she sent Kiyi to set us up.”

Sokka gasped loudly with wide eyes. “So it was a setup!!”

Zuko nodded with a smile so big his cheeks were all puffy. Sokka wanted to kiss them. Those soft, squishy cheeks. They were perfect. Every part of him was perfect.

He had to shake his head to get out of that train of thought and back to their conversation. What were they talking about? Zuko’s perfect face? No, wait. A set-up. Right. Kiyi had been trying to set them up.

“Did you know?”

Zuko shook his head furiously. “God no, if I had known I would have kissed you instantly. It just clicked last night.”

Sokka raised one unimpressed eyebrow. “You would have kissed me instantly? Really? Are you sure about that?” He pursed his lips in doubt.

Zuko shot him a dramatically hurt look, similar to Sokka’s look in the grocery store a day earlier.

Sokka just laughed and pecked his lips.

“Did you tell your mom she was terrible at it?”

“I mean, we are together now.” Zuko shrugged.

“Zuko.” Sokka tried to pull a serious face but he was just so happy he couldn’t stop smiling. “If she hadn’t been interrupting us every chance she got I would’ve kissed you at probably 10 different moments. At least.”

Zuko hummed as he thought back to a couple of those moments. The park… That evening… The next morning… The store…

“Yeah… I think… as crazy as it sounds… I would’ve too… with some of those moments…”

It was kind of sad… to think they could’ve gotten together earlier.

Sokka knew the look on his face well and felt the need to gently pinch his shoulder. “Let's just be glad we got there eventually.”

“Oh, I _am_ glad. I’m beyond glad.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “You’re so cute.”

“Shut up..!” Zuko’s cheeks flushed red.

Sokka just leant in and kissed the apples of his cheeks. Likes he had really wanted to for the past few minutes. He didn’t have to hold that in anymore. He leant back again and gazed at his flustered state with full intensity. He didn’t have to hide that anymore either. He could just look at him with all the love he felt.

Zuko blushed even more because of it. “Stop that.”

“I’m sorry,” Sokka said with a happy sigh. “It’s just… the way you look when you’re blushing is just…” He kissed the tips of his fingers. “Chef’s kiss.”

“Chef’s kiss?”

“Yeah. Have you never heard of that?”

He shook his head.

Sokka’s eyes widened. He backed away with a shocked hand on his chest. “Zuko..! How am I…” He paused as he was reminded of the day before. He could actually say what he wanted to say this time. _Wow_. There was so much he could just say and do now.

“…how am I in love with you?” It came out way softer than he had meant it. The fact that he could just freely say those words hit him a little too hard.

Zuko’s blush instantly worsened at the softness of those words.

“Is that what you wanted to say yesterday?”

“Hm? Oh... uh.. yeah.” Sokka felt his own cheeks heat up too.

Zuko just pulled him in and kissed him softly. “I’m very happy that you are.”

“Who knew you were such a sap?” Sokka teased. He felt so light now he just couldn’t help it.

“Are you kidding me? Have you met yourself? You’re so much worse than me..!”

“I like to think it’s better, actually.” He pecked the tip of his nose. “I wasn’t talking about me though, I have always been a sap for so many things and people, you, however… You bottle that shit up.”

“Well, I’ve always thought speaking my mind was going to get me heartbroken so excuse me for holding that in.”

“Hey..!” The younger man caressed the side of his face. “What have I told you about spiralling?”

Zuko closed his eyes and nodded. “I know, I know, there’s just been… _so_ much anxiety.”

“Yeah… Same here actually.”

Zuko opened his eyes and leant in to press their foreheads together. “You too?”

“Yeah… It’s scary to admit your feelings when rejection would mess up your whole life. It wasn’t just potential heartbreak it was potentially having to leave all this.” He motioned to their apartment. “I don’t know why I’m explaining it, it’s not like you didn’t feel the same thing.”

Zuko nodded absentmindedly. He agreed but he was also distracted.

“Wait so… two nights ago… when you said… you have to stop spiralling. You _are_ cute and I _do_ know it… you meant that?”

“Well, yes, obviously. Babe, I’m in love with you, of course, I think you’re cute.”

That sentence reminded Zuko of something else. So this was a moment of realization, huh? His eye scanned his face. It held an emotion Sokka couldn’t name.

“You didn’t say anything. Yesterday. When I said babe.”

Sokka closed his eyes at the memory. “Oh god, it was everything.”

Zuko laughed awkwardly.

Sokka pressed their foreheads together. “Baby, I wasn’t sure if you liked me and there you were casually calling me babe..! It took me… everything. It took me everything in me to not mention it to you, to not tell you to always call me that, to not kiss you senseless right then and there.”

Zuko’s breath trembled at those words. This was all very new, and it was all very much _everything_ he had ever wanted.

“Kiss me senseless later?” He asked slightly out of breath.

Sokka smiled so brightly Zuko was melting again. “I’d love to but,” He held up a finger. “Only if you call me babe again.”

“Yes, _babe_. Kiss me later, _babe_. Be with me forever, _babe_. Have kids with me, _babe_.”

Sokka kissed him forcefully. “Stop it, I’m going to melt..!”

Zuko smirked mischievously. He was going to be the tease today, remember?

“Oh, we can’t have that, _babe_. You still need to kiss me senseless, _babe_.”

The younger man pressed his forehead against his boyfriend’s shoulder and sighed. He shuddered from… well, he wasn’t sure what that was… Anticipation? Knowing something you’ve wanted for ages is finally here? Ursa would probably know the word he was looking for.

Oh right. Ursa. Family.

He looked up again. “We should tell our families.”

“That you’re going to kiss me senseless? _Babe_ , I don’t think that’s any of their business.” Zuko smirked. Sokka pecked his lips forcefully once more.

“Will you shut up? Is this always what it’s like when I tease you? So much build-up of love and no way of letting it out? That must have been torture.”

“It was the best and worst thing at the same time.”

“You’re ridiculous.” He shook his head. His gaze was filled with so much love. “Let’s tell our families.” He said with a laugh.

“You wanna tell Katara first?”

Sokka nodded. “Sure.”

He moved away from him for the first time since they finally kissed and they both mourned the loss of body heat and affection. How long had they been standing there? His feet were actually hurting..!

He grabbed his phone from his bedroom and when he came back Zuko was sitting on the counter, staring at their ruined breakfast.

“You wanna go grab breakfast somewhere after this?” He said as Sokka came to stand between his legs. Zuko’s hands were instantly in his neck as he leant down and kissed his forehead.

“Yeah, let’s.”

He smiled up at him and earned a small kiss on the lips. Sokka leant up for more, but Zuko moved away already.

The blue-eyed man pouted but respected his wish. He turned around and let Zuko lean on him as he watched over his shoulder.

Katara answered the video call almost immediately.

“Finally!” She exclaimed before the boys had even said anything.

“What? How did you know?”

Katara shot him an unimpressed look. “You’re both smiling so big, your faces are sliced in two.”

Zuko leant down and kissed Sokka’s cheek. Sokka blushed and couldn’t look at his phone for a moment. The cheek kisses were his move and almost felt a bit too intimate in front of his sister. He couldn’t wait to experience more of them though.

“So, who made the first move?” She asked sounding annoyed but Sokka knew his sister well; she was excited for them.

“Sokka did.”

“Sokka? Well bro, I gotta say, I did not expect you to go through with it but I’m glad you did.”

Sokka puffed his chest proudly even though he knew it was more of an accident than a conscious choice.

“Okay before I go, I have one thing to say to you Sokka.. I never, and I mean _never_ , want to hear about Zuko’s tongue again.”

Sokka’s eyes widened and his cheeks heated up in an instant.

“Katara..!”

Zuko smirked and moved to try to look Sokka in the eye.

“My _tongue_?” He whispered in his ear.

“Gotta go now bye!” Sokka exclaimed before hanging up the phone and being turned around by Zuko.

Zuko raised an eyebrow at him, his eyes impossibly amused. He leant in closely, a hand on his neck, his thumb on this jaw.

“My tongue?” He whispered again. With his free hand he brushed some hair out of Sokka’s face and with the thumb he tilted his head up. After leaning in even closer he breathed in deeply, slowly licked a line over Sokka’s lips, and then carefully blew out his breath onto his lips.

Sokka shuddered in his grip. His head tilted more, his lips opening and chasing Zuko’s.

“Yeah…” He breathed. “…your tongue.” It was obvious. He wanted all of it and more.

He brought his hand up and into his neck and then pulled him back in.

“Kiss me.” He begged with hooded eyes.

Zuko shivered. _Wow_. That was everything he had wanted for the past six years and he finally had it.

He kissed him slowly, and it felt different than any of the others. This was like they had just simply found their way _home_ and were now just settling in.

“You’re everything,” Sokka whispered, fully mesmerised.

“So are you,” Zuko whispered just as dreamily.

They took a moment to just simply gaze at each other, taking it all in.

They were interrupted by Zuko’s phone going off about a hundred times. Aang was texting him a bunch of congratulations and questions on how it happened, Azula was texting him about the night before and the girl that kissed her, and Ursa was texting him the same question several times: Have you made a damn movie yet?

“I think we should tell my mom.”

“Kiyi will want to know it too.” Sokka nodded.

He stepped away, took a hold of Zuko’s hand, and pulled him off the counter and over to the couch. It was slow and deliberate. He wanted to hold his hand so bad.

“Lie down with me?” He asked hopefully.

Zuko closed his eyes tightly. That look was too much. He loved the melting of his heart, but he hated it too. He hated it in the best way possible but still, it was just… he had no words to describe it.

Thankfully Sokka seemed to be able to read his expression and he just simply, silently, pulled him onto the couch and on top of himself. It was not too different from the way they were lying there the day before.

Zuko was a little bit more on his side now, his one arm draped over Sokka’s chest, the other reaching up into his hair. Sokka’s one arm was around his back, ending on his waist, and the other was cupping his cheek.

He was looking at him like he couldn’t believe this was real.

They needed a moment to just simply linger and gaze at each other before they could get themselves to actually call Ursa.

Sokka held up Zuko’s phone and started a video call to his mother.

“Hey Ursa.” He smiled warmly. He knew that she’d connect the dots instantly.

“Hey mom,” Zuko said shyly.

Ursa’s face was positively beaming.

“Are you…?” She didn’t even dare to ask on the off chance she was wrong. “Did you two…?”

Sokka nodded, his brows furrowed from the stinging in his eyes, but his smile was so big it looked like it hurt.

“You should get Kiyi.” He sniffled and Zuko moved to look at him. He had tears in his eyes too.

Ursa was running through the house, calling Kiyi’s name. Her voice sounded desperate. She found Kiyi in the backyard and showed up on camera covered in mud.

The boys laughed when they said hello.

“Hey Kiyi, you’re gonna love this,” Zuko promised with a smirk. He moved up and cupped Sokka’s cheek before kissing him right on the lips.

Sokka had not been expecting him to kiss him in front of his mother. He was so surprised he dropped the phone. Instead of picking it back up again though, he just used his now free hand to cup this cheek and kiss him deeper.

The phone was on the floor next to the couch and looking up at the ceiling. All they could see were arms moving to wrap around each other and legs doing the same.

They could hear Ursa quietly explaining to Kiyi that they finally got together and how they were so happy for them.

The two young men kissed for longer than they should have but they just couldn’t help themselves. They could finally just do this now. The fact that their families were so happy for them only made it better.

“I love you,” Sokka uttered to his lips. He was feeling very emotional all of a sudden. They were together, and they were telling their families, and they were all saying _finally_ because it had been so long and they were so happy that they had finally made it here, and well, it all started to hurt. All that time he had spent yearning and longing… Suddenly he didn’t understand how he had made it through so, _so_ _many_ days… months… years…

“I love _you_.” Zuko breathed before kissing him softly once more. He was feeling it too.

They broke their kiss when they heard Ursa sniffling.

“Why are you sad, mommy?” Kiyi asked worriedly.

The guys scrambled to pick up the phone again. They looked into the camera with guilty faces.

“Sorry, I got distracted.” Sokka pressed his lips together to stop his lip from trembling. He’d really prefer to come across as happy and teasing, rather than emotional.

“Mom…” Zuko uttered. He didn’t hide that he was getting emotional watching his mother cry.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. It’s just… My dear boys it has been so long.”

Zuko buried his face in Sokka’s neck. He couldn’t stop the tears from spilling out.

“These are happy tears, Zuko. I’m so happy for you. Both of you. Please go live your happiest life.”

Sokka swallowed heavily, he was trying very hard to not join them in their tears.

“We will, Ursa. Thank you.”

“We love you boys so much.” She hugged Kiyi close to her chest and Sokka did the same with Zuko.

He kissed the side of Zuko’s head and let go of an uneven breath. “We love you too.”

Zuko moved up and kissed his temple. This finally made the tears spill for Sokka too. He looked at him with so many tears in his eyes he could barely see him.

“It’s been so long…” He repeated Ursa’s words in a whisper. They were so true. The golden-eyed boy kissed his lips softly. He lingered with pursed lips.

“We’re here now. We got there in the end.”

Sokka nodded against his lips and then pressed just a little bit closer. “We did.”

They pressed their foreheads together and stayed like that for minutes. Ursa held Kiyi close as she looked at her son and son-in-law with so much love in her heart she couldn’t stop the tears for minutes.

The boys had both been through so much, they could finally be happy now. Together.

Sokka slowly blinked open his eyes and faced the phone again. His gaze was earnest as he spoke.

“Kiyi, this weekend has been the best, thanks to you. You did uhh interrupt us a couple of times..” He laughed softly. “…but you made me see that Zuko feels the same way about me as I feel about him and not even your mother had been able to do that so far.”

Kiyi beamed proudly. “You’re welcome.”

Zuko chuckled. “Thank you, little sis.” He leant his face against Sokka’s. It was so nice and warm and soft. “We should do this again sometime.”

“We should!” Kiyi piped up.

The adults chuckled and dried their tears.

“So I was thinking, Kiyi…” Sokka started with a gentle smile. He wanted to talk about something else for a while. They had plenty of hours left in the day to be emotional together.

“…next time we could either do the museum, or the aquarium... Or the zoo. Or maybe one of those indoor playgrounds..!”

Zuko was just holding onto him, a content smile on his lips. He loved him. There was no doubt about it.

He listened to Sokka and Kiyi enthusiastically rambling about their next weekend away. Mother and son were looking at each other on their screens with so much love in their eyes, it was obvious they were thinking the same thing.

“You should have kids,” Ursa said, when they couldn’t decide on what to do first.

“Oh, we will,” Sokka said determinedly. “He’s already asked me to have kids with him.”

Zuko blushed but he didn’t feel quite as embarrassed about it as he usually would have. This was just everything he had always wanted, and he was _not_ about to be embarrassed about it. Not anymore. Besides, Sokka wanted it too.

Zuko held Sokka just a little bit closer. “We will but first we’ll let Kiyi hang out with her big brother and her favourite _brother-in-law_.” He winked at Kiyi.

“YES!” She exclaimed. _Finally,_ he was her brother-in-law and not her uncle.

They spent the next half hour on the phone with Kiyi trying to decide when she would come sleepover next, and where they would go. It was hard to decide when there were just so many fun things to do.

The aquarium… The zoo…. The children's museum… An indoor playground… The beach… The summer fair… A waterpark… Perhaps a certain wedding…? There were so many options they weren’t sure which one to pick.

They knew one thing for sure though… Whatever they chose to do would be the right decision. They were no longer scared of the future, of growing older, of being alone. They would always be by each other's side.

Together at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhh this is it! The biggest story I have ever written..! Please leave a comment if you can. I love you all so much ❤️
> 
> Let me know if you want a bonus chapter (or two) of their next outing with Kiyi or perhaps of a certain Wedding™
> 
> Nov. 2nd 2020 EDIT: I have started on a bonus chapter, I've got it all worked out, except my laptop broke so now I can't continue it. I'm currently on a holiday and will not be able to get a new laptop for another two to three weeks 😭 so there /will/ be a bonus chapter I'm just not sure yet when that will be. 😔 So sorry!  
> To stay up to date please follow me on Tumblr @writerofthelorde or ask for my personal Tumblr if you'd prefer that one ☺️
> 
> Nov. 29th 2020 EDIT: I have a functioning laptop again and I have started writing again. It's going well! I'm about halfway through the bonus story and it's already past 10k so I'm trying to decide how I will be posting it, but either way, it will be soon! 🥰🥰🥰 Just as a little bit of a hint of what it's about: 💍❓ 💍❓❓❓ 💍❗


	9. The Proposals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after 6 years, they had gotten together. It was great; they already lived together, and did their groceries together, and babysat Kiyi together and... well, they had been doing everything together. To be honest, they had been living like a married couple for the past two years. And you know what, maybe it was time, Sokka thought, that they actually tied the knot.
> 
> A story about Sokka trying his best to propose to Zuko while they're babysitting Kiyi, Zuko's 5-year-old half-sister, and taking her to fun places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this is the full "bonus chapter" that got out of hand. It's posted separately but I also want to have it here just for the sake of overview. My head is a mess so I want this story to not be a mess haha!

After the burst-out confessions, the tears and the long kissing sessions, things finally calmed down. Their times of intense yearning and aching were over. They did still yearn for each other, while at work, or visiting family, but it was much calmer in both their hearts now that they knew the other felt the same.

They very easily fell into a loving life together. Since they had already been living together and did just about everything together, they just added a whole bunch more kissing. And hand-holding. And even more cuddling. But overall, nothing much changed.

The biggest change, the one they didn’t want to mention too often, was that they both were finally feeling calm and at peace for the first time in years. For the first time since they had been children, in fact. With each other and alone. They were not only working towards good things, but they were also finally _living_ good things.

They peacefully spent the next months living life like they had already been living, plus some (a lot of) kisses here and there. They often fell asleep in each other’s arms. They held hands whenever they could. And they realised, as they were doing it, that they had basically been living like a married couple all this time. 

The only things that _had_ changed were more intimate than what they were used to. More undeniably romantic, rather than wishful thinking.

At first, they didn’t mention it to each other, that they had been living like a married couple for the past two years. Too scared that it would put pressure on their relationship. Just because they had subconsciously lived like a married couple, didn’t mean that they were actually ready for marriage already. They had only just gotten together after years of pining. So, they kept it to themselves. For a while.

Sokka ended up mentioning it when they had been dating a little over two months, because well… the guy went fast sometimes. Zuko knew that. Sokka knew that Zuko knew that. And so, after 9 weeks of dating each other, Sokka ~~finally~~ mentioned it.

They were sitting outside in the sun, enjoying some tea and holding hands on the table.

“So, we’ve basically been living like a married couple all this time, huh?” Sokka said before taking a sip of his highly sugared tea.

“Yeah, I guess we have.” Zuko squeezed his hand softly. He had realised it too so it wasn’t exactly a surprise.

Sokka, in turn, shrugged casually. “I guess that means we should get married.”

In reply Zuko laughed warmly; that wasn’t a surprise either. The idea of getting married though, that was ridiculous. He wanted it, but the idea of doing it now? Absolutely hilarious.

Sokka looked up at him all serious. He knew why Zuko was laughing, why he wasn’t taking him seriously, but if he was being honest, he’d do it on the spot. If he had a ring he’d been getting down on one knee immediately.

The older guy’s eyes wandered over his face, scanning his expression and his body language. “Wait, you’re being serious?”

Sokka’s smile was cute and determined. “Yes. We've basically been acting married this whole time. Think of how we’ve lived since the beginning..! We’ve been all over each other from the start. Even before I moved in, we were always close and teasing and touching each other. We make food together, we bake together, we do the dishes together, the groceries, the cleaning… I could go on.”

Zuko put his cup back down. “Sokka, we’ve been dating for two months.”

“So?”

“So, not yet.” Zuko was shaking his head with a smile. He was in love with an idiot.

Sokka smirked at him. “…but you want to?”

Zuko let go of his boyfriend’s hand and used his now free hand to pull his chair closer, moving Sokka within kissing reach.

He tilted his head with a single finger and looked at him with love-filled eyes. “I’ve been in love with you for six years, I think you know the answer.”

Sokka beamed at him with so much happiness Zuko couldn’t help himself when he kissed him softly. 

This was the first time they kissed out in public and though they had shared plenty of almost-kisses in public, it was still scary.

Zuko focused on the feeling of his lips and the warmth of his breath and allowed himself to linger. He wanted this; it didn’t matter what strangers on the street thought of them.

“I love you,” Zuko whispered. After the two months, he still hadn’t gotten enough of saying those words, or the reaction it got him.

Sokka’s smile became shy and his eyes glistened with bittersweet happiness. It was a look only Zuko ever got to see. It was something that could only be created by those specific words, said by that one specific person.

“I love you too, baby.” 

They shared another sweet kiss before Sokka looked at his boyfriend up close and through hooded eyes.

“I will marry you one day. You just wait.”

Zuko shook his head with a smile, their noses rubbing against each other.

“I have to be a part of that, you idiot.”

Who leant in next was unclear, but they were kissing again. It was deep and slow, and if anyone had seen them, they would have probably told them to get a room.

Sokka backed off with impossibly even more love in his eyes than before.

“You will marry me one day. I will make sure of that.” 

And making sure he did. He knew it was too soon. He knew he was a tad too eager. But they had been in love for so long. The only reason they hadn’t fallen out of love with each other was because they had pretty much already been living their dream lives together all that time. 

They had already been living together, they had already been hugging and cuddling loads. They had already been kissing cheeks and making breakfast, lunch and dinner at each other’s sides. They had already been living a domestic dream. Doing groceries together, going on dinner “dates” together, doing each other’s laundry.

They had been doing it all. Sokka was certain it was the only reason he hadn’t lost his mind. The only reason he hadn’t suffered a heartbreak and was forced to move on. There was nothing to move on from when you’re already living in domestic bliss.

Feeding Zuko a bite over his shoulder as Zuko nuzzled his neck. Keeping each other warm on the couch during the cold winters. Singing songs as they were cleaning the apartment together. Playing with dirty clothes in their underwear while doing laundry together. They had been doing it all. 

The memories still felt bittersweet to them both.

Their longing and downright yearning had been painful in the end. If either of them had to be honest about it, they would have to admit that they had been on their breaking point before they got together. 

They had been on the verge of giving in to the heartbreak and living a miserable life. 

At the same time though, those memories were also starting to be really funny. The obliviousness of them both was absolutely ridiculous. The fact that they had been so blind to each other’s feelings, but also to the way they were living… it was truly something else.

So even after only two months of dating, Sokka felt like he was ready for the next step. They had wasted six years and yet had still loved each other through them all. It was time now. 

He knew deep down that it was ridiculous, but he had been on cloud nine for the past months and he knew he was the one. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of their lives being idiots together. As husbands. As fathers.

And so, even after Zuko had laughed at him, he still got to planning their wedding. In secret, of course. 

He wouldn’t ask him again for several months. It was for the best for both of them. Zuko would undoubtedly turn him down again if he asked too soon, and he didn’t want to put any pressure on him. He certainly didn’t want to make him feel like he was going to hurt him if he said no again.

The answer had to be a solid yes from the heart, or it wasn’t going to happen. Maybe he just had to test the waters a little bit.

Sokka spent months planning things but, the idiot that he was, forgot to plan an actual proposal.

What ended up happening was that a few months later, he had become so ready to get married, that his initial plan of waiting was falling apart. This whole idea of waiting and building him up to it was going to take _too_ damn long. He was starting to feel too needy to be able to wait much longer. Besides… what if he waited too long and he turned him down?

That thought was ridiculous of course but Sokka’s mind had gotten used to the uncertainty and fear that he had felt for six years. It was almost hard to move on and truly believe that things were better now. To believe that he now had what he had always longed for.

The day he finally burst from anticipation was when Zuko and him were taking Kiyi to the zoo.

They had been in the zoo all day. It had been fantastic. Kiyi was so excited about everything she kept holding their hands and dragging them along to the next animal. They made up songs about animals and Sokka told her a whole bunch of fun facts about each animal.

He had done his research, the absolute madman. Zuko had been forced to deal with a researching Sokka for weeks. He would constantly tell Zuko the facts and other titbits he found online and then he would ask him just how interesting they had been.

Zuko had a hard time being honest because Sokka was just _so_ damn cute. No matter how boring or questionable the ‘facts’ were, they would just fill his heart with warmth simply because they were coming from his boyfriend.

Was Kiyi going to love those facts? Probably not all of them. Was he going to teach her things that were downright wrong? Potentially. But Zuko just couldn’t get himself to say anything but positive words to him in those moments. 

He just loved him too much to have a single functioning brain cell. 

It was clear, a lot of the time, that Sokka had the brain cell between the two of them. Ever since they had started dating Zuko’s love had just been multiplied by a thousand. He felt like a different person, so light and happy and filled with warmth and love. It was so unlike who he used to be.

Sometimes he would get emotional thinking about where he had come from… that hell… and where he was now…. floating around on cloud nine… no.. it was better than cloud nine… it was something he never thought he’d have. Ever.

In those moments Sokka would hold him and hum songs into his hair. He’d rub circles on his back and press kisses to his temple. He’d tell him he loved him and that he was worthy of every ounce of his love. 

Sokka had his breakdowns too. Sometimes he would remember how bad he used to feel, how much he used to hate who he was and how he would think he would never be good enough, and therefore would never be happy.

They would hold each other tight and Zuko would tell him what a great person he had become. He would tell him how much he loved him and why. 

They were each other’s rock. As they had been for the past six years. The fact that they took care of each other so well, was another reason for Sokka to move so fast. They were just meant for each other.

At this moment, in the zoo, they felt blessed for having each other, for having a life that they loved, and for having Kiyi to take on trips. It had been too long since the last time they saw her, and especially too long since they’d had her over for more than a few hours.

They had been spending all day in the zoo. They had eaten too much junk food, Kiyi had eaten too much candy, she had gotten too many expensive things from the shop and they had smiled so much their cheeks were hurting. 

They were waiting outside the women’s bathroom. Kiyi had said she was old enough to go by herself. They weren’t worried. Even if she ended up peeing all over her fabulous safari outfit, they’d just put her into clean clothes.

“She’s taking a long time in there,” Sokka noted.

“You know how she is.” Zuko slid along the wall till his shoulder touched Sokka’s. 

Sokka kissed the side of his head. “I do.”

He was instantly reminded of a certain thing he had been planning for months now. Should he ask him here? Well, not in the bathroom here, but in the zoo here.

He thought of how much he wanted to marry him and found himself feeling more emotional than planned.

They were just perfect for each other okay? He wanted this so badly.

Zuko could feel the tension in his body and looked up questioningly.

“You know she’ll be alright, right?”

The younger man smiled at his boyfriend and then kissed him with a finger under his chin. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about I love you.” He said in a single breath. “Can I kiss you again?” He knew what the answer would be. He knew Zuko could never say no to a kiss. But he also knew that he didn’t like to be seen kissing. He didn’t mind being openly in love in public in general, but the thought of people specifically looking at them? That was still scary.

Zuko frowned. “You know I love you too, right?”

Sokka chuckled. “Yes, I know that my dear idiot.”

Zuko snorted, and without answering just kissed him instead. Their kiss was soft and lingering. Their love for each other felt even stronger on days like these. Seeing the other be amazing with kids just solidified their desire to have kids with each other.

When Kiyi finally came out of the bathroom they were still lingering close to each other. Their noses were brushing as they whispered sweet words to each other’s lips. 

Just as they were melting into another kiss, she decided to announce herself. 

“I’m done!” 

The young men closed their eyes and then started to quietly giggle. Even when they were together, she was still interrupting them.

Sokka stuck his tongue out at her as soon as he saw her smirk. He quickly turned around and planted a big kiss on his lips. 

“There. You can’t stop me from kissing him anymore.”

Kiyi just shrugged and skipped away. 

The young men shared a look and an eye roll before hurrying after her.

Kiyi instantly decided it was a game and started running even faster. She ran and ran until she reached the penguin enclosure.

Once the young men had spotted the penguins they could finally slow down. Sokka upon reaching Kiyi immediately started his list of fun facts about penguins in general. After a few (too many) minutes he switched to facts about these penguins in front of them specifically. 

“Oh, and did you know..! Since penguins can be gay, this zoo in particular actually celebrates their gay weddings! They hold a ceremony for couples that have been together for more than two years in a row and they even throw the visitors a party.”

“They do?” Zuko asked, instantly curious again.

Sokka’s gaze immediately moved to Zuko, and it was intense.

“They do. They celebrate gay penguin weddings…” He pulled his lower lip between his teeth and looked him up and down. “…and gay human weddings…”

He quickly turned back to Kiyi to tell her more fun facts, acting as though he didn’t just drop some very specific information on his boyfriend. The young girl must be really smart, or perhaps mischievous, because the moment Sokka picked her up off the ground she whispered in his ear all too loudly, “Are you going to marry Zuzu?”

“I do hope so, my dear. One day.” He glanced over at him. “Soon.”

Kiyi wiggled out of his arms to run over to a zookeeper and bother him with a bunch of questions Sokka, unfortunately, didn’t know the answers to. Sokka shot the man an apologetic look before feeling Zuko slip his hand into his grip.

He turned to face him and was instantly met by a quick peck on the lips. It made him smile in a heartbeat.

“What’s that for?”

“For being ridiculous.”

“Hm, I should be ridiculous more often then.”

Zuko kissed him again, a little more harshly. “Please don’t. You’re already plenty ridiculous as it is.”

Sokka pretended to take offence but Zuko pulled him even closer.

“What is going on in your head?” His gaze was fond, and he was shaking his head slightly. Why would he tell his little sister they would get married soon?

Sokka shuffled even closer and titled his head as he took in his beautiful boyfriend’s face.

“We should get married.” 

Zuko’s fond headshakes grew bigger and faster as he chuckled.

“One day, you idiot.” 

He looked past Sokka to check on Kiyi, just to see her feeding a penguin with the zookeeper. He turned back to Sokka and kissed him a little more deeply this time. Knowing that he could take a moment without endangering Kiyi, he gave himself fully to the kiss. 

“One day.” He repeated himself. More for himself than for Sokka.

He wanted this too. He’d do it right there and then, but that wouldn’t be right. They would regret that later. It had only been 6 months. He wanted to wear something special, and he knew Sokka did too. Their friends needed to be there. They would need a photographer. Toph needed time to craft their rings. 

One day. Soon. Maybe. _Hopefully_.

Sokka smiled flirtily. “Why not now?”

“We’d regret it.”

“Why?”

Zuko couldn’t look him in the eye when he answered him. “Because it’s too soon… and besides… the numbers aren’t right…”

Sokka pulled a confused but fond face. He didn’t mind this rejection. He knew they’d get married one day. He just simply didn’t want to wait any longer. They had waited long enough.

“Why aren’t the numbers right?” He asked while he played with one of his boyfriend’s fingers.

“Because…” Zuko shrugged. He knew Sokka was about to laugh at him. “…it took us 6 years… and we’ve been together for 6 months… and today is the 6th…”

“Babe..! Don’t tell me you believe in that sort of thing..!”

“Why not? Is that a deal-breaker?”

“Oh definitely……….. not. I love every part of you. If that includes a part of you that believes our wedding could summon Satan…. Then so be it. It’s good to know.”

Zuko rolled his eyes at him and smooched his lips once more. He was being ridiculous after all.

“I don’t believe Satan would show up if we got married today, I just think… I just think we’d regret that number later. Why don’t we make the number something nice? It will be something we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

Sokka chuckled with love. “I know babe, I’m just teasing.”

They shared another quick kiss before joining Kiyi and the zookeeper. 

Sokka would get his yes eventually. He just had to work on his proposal. Maybe it was best to just mention the option of marriage every now and then. Maybe that would calm Zuko’s mind.

As soon as they got home that evening he started working on a plan. A solid, _nothing can go wrong_ , kind of a plan. 

A pretty good, _I don’t think anything can go wrong_ , plan.

hopefully.

The next time Sokka mentioned getting married was a month later when they were on another outing with Kiyi.

They were at the aquarium, showing Kiyi the octopi. She was _obsessed_ with them. Ever since she saw one at the zoo she had been telling the boys all about them. And so, when it came to deciding where they were taking her next, the answer was obvious.

They had already spent hours at the aquarium. Much longer than they had expected. She was obsessed with the fish and the crabs and snails and it was truly something else to see her get so excited about it all.

This time, instead of Sokka telling her fun facts, it was Kiyi telling them fun facts. She had asked Ursa to look up videos about them all. She had asked for books, for toys, for posters, everything that was about sea critters. 

Sokka had given Zuko looks of, _I hope our kid will be like that too_ , all day. Every single time Zuko had to roll his eyes to not give away how emotional the thought of that made him. 

Every time Sokka told Kiyi a stupid joke about the fishes he would feel his heart clench. He wondered sometimes, why loving had to ache so much. How sometimes he felt so much love for Sokka it felt like it would choke him someday. How it felt like he needed to absolutely squeeze him flat from how much he loved him.

And those were good pains… There was also always the bad pain too. The, _if I lose him I will lose myself too_ , kind of pain. The, _if he breaks up with me I will never be okay again_ , kind of anxiety. 

But, as if he could sense it, in those moments Sokka would always grin at him, squeeze his hand, and kiss his cheek. He would ground him, and remind him that he wasn’t going anywhere. He would look him in the eyes and whisper sweet promises. He’d kiss his lips and then his nose and then his forehead. He’d tell him he’s beautiful, kind and amazing.

He didn’t quite know why loving so much led his brain into anxiety, but he thought it was best not to question it too much. The more he thought about it the worse it got. He didn’t want to go back to therapy. He wanted to save up money for the kid they kept talking about. That was going to take a while.

“What are you thinking about?” Sokka asked with a grin.

“Saving money.”

“Oh,” Sokka said so audibly disappointed that Zuko couldn’t help but snort.

“For a child.”

“…oh.” He was gaping at him for much too long, but he just couldn’t help it. Zuko was the one who was constantly saying he wanted to take things slow. He didn’t want to rush things because they would regret it when they were older. 

As if they weren’t full-grown adults who had wasted six whole years on pining and aching. As if they weren’t already filled with regret of not making a move. Of not taking a leap of faith. Of not believing their gut feeling that getting together was the right thing. As if they wouldn’t have been married by now if they had made a move six years ago. Or hell, one year ago even. If they had gotten together any earlier than they had, they would have been married by now. They would have been signing adoption papers by now.

“Well now _you’re_ lost in your head, we must be terribly boring for Kiyi.”

Sokka smiled guiltily. “Sorry.”

His boyfriend just pulled him in for a small kiss and then pulled him along to his little sister. 

“Anyway, I was thinking of putting aside money. For a kid. Because kids are so expensive and especially adopting. It takes so much money to do that in the first place and then you have to get a room ready and you have to buy clothes and toys and-” Sokka was kissing him before he could continue. 

“I… couldn’t possibly love you any more right now.”

Zuko once again rolled his eyes to hide the fact that he was emotional. 

“Yeah. Same.” He choked out.

Sokka just grinned at him. He loved having that effect on him. It killed all his insecurities. It cancelled out all of his regrets. This right here, was what made it worth it. Worth the wait. Worth the yearning. Worth the aching and anxiety. 

It was even, worth the nights in which his aching heart had hurt so bad he had cried. The nights in which he was so sure Zuko would never love him that he would beat himself up forever falling for him in the first place. The nights in which he talked himself into letting go of all his feelings and prioritize their friendship. The nights in which he broke his own heart and became determined to move on, just to fall hard and fast again the very next morning.

This look, the choking up, the inability to say the words back, they made it all worth it. So he grinned. He grinned and he held him tight. He kissed him as soon as Zuko smiled back. He kissed him hard and then lingered until Kiyi got impatient. 

This was not the place or the time to get emotional about their love life. No actually, it was lunchtime, and Kiyi was hungry.

She was pulling on Zuko’s leg to try to get him to move.

“One moment, sweetie.” He said without even looking at her. He was too busy finishing up his moment with the love of his life.

Sokka caressed both his cheeks, rubbed their noses together and then pressed a small smooch to his lips. 

“Ready?”

Zuko gave him a nod. “Ready.”

Hand in hand the three made their way down to the restaurant. It kind of felt like they were wearing a sign that said something silly because the people around them were looking at them funny.

Zuko tried his best to ignore all the eyes on them and just sat down at a table as Sokka and Kiyi got their food. 

He decided to text his mom about some things on his mind, just so he could let it out and then move on. Ursa would know how to respond. Not that Sokka didn’t, but Sokka just responded to things with kindness, love and affection, and sometimes those things would just make it worse in the end. 

Especially when the issue at hand was about his regrets. His regrets of not mentioning his feelings years ago. His regrets of believing his anxiety all those years. And, of course, his inner fight between his heart and his head. His heart telling him to think of marriage and kids and moving to an actual house versus his head telling him it was all too soon. Moving too fast was going to break their relationship. At least, that’s what his head told him.

Kiyi pulled him out of his thoughts as she started walking a toy octopus over his arm. 

“Huh, where did you get that?”

Sokka shrugged from behind her. “It was next to the register.”

“I thought we were going to start saving up?” 

“I’m not going to withhold her from fun toys and things..! Who would I be if I did that? We’d be her stupid family..! We can _not_ be part of her stupid family, babe.”

Zuko chuckled and ran a hand through Kiyi’s hair. 

“Yeah,” He agreed, “that’s fair.”

When they finally arrived at the octopus exhibit that afternoon, they heaved a sigh of relief when Kiyi found someone else to talk to. Don’t get me wrong, they loved her and her passionate rambling very much, it just… was a bit much if it lasted literal hours.

There had been a young woman, who was very passionate about octopi, standing right next to them as Kiyi had started rambling once again. The young woman and she hit it off immediately. 

They had been chatting for the past 30 minutes or so. It was very cute to witness, but Sokka was on a mission and he had just realized a perfect segway. The girls were talking about the suction cups of the one on the window and Sokka turned to face Zuko with a smug face.

“These rings look so cool up close.” He turned to dramatically examine them. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in them, he definitely was but, there were more important matters at hand.

Zuko stepped closer and placed a hand on his back. Like he had started doing after about a month of them dating.

The smug man turned his face slightly and looked his boyfriend in the eye. “Do you think one of those is a wedding ring?”

“What do you mea- oh my god.” Zuko closed his eyes and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I thought being ridiculous got me a smooch?” He pouted dramatically.

Zuko rolled his eyes and pecked his lips. “You don’t have to be ridiculous to get kissed though. You can just ask.”

“Oh, I know.” He kissed his cheek. “But sometimes I just have wedding rings on my mind.”

Zuko rolled his eyes again as he leant into the lips on his cheek. 

Sokka continued to press small kisses to his cheek. “I have them on my mind all the time, to be honest. Toph would craft them, obviously.” He said between kisses.

Zuko hummed in agreement.

“…and honestly, crafting those takes a while... and so does designing them… so really, we ought to start doing that soon.”

This time Zuko moved away to send him a look and to shake his head with a smile. “You’re so cute, you know that?”

“You think that’s going to get me flustered or something? Saying things like that just makes me want to marry you even more.”

“My answer is still the same, babe.” He pulled him close enough for their lips to hover in front of each other. “One day.”

Sokka closed his eyes to the sound of the sweet promise. It didn’t hurt him, no it actually made him feel fantastic. It was a yes, just not yet.

Zuko could see the effect it had on him and couldn’t help whispering the words again.

“One day, my love.”

Sokka’s eyes opened as he sucked in a shuddering breath. “Kiss me.”

Zuko could never say no to a request like that. He was still getting used to it all, but especially the tone and the look in his eyes that came along with those words… It was just truly something else. 

So he kissed him. He kissed him properly right in the middle of the aquarium. For a moment the world faded around them. It was just the two of them and their promise of a future together. It was bliss.

When she saw them Kiyi smugly called out an “Ew!” 

The young lady she was talking to tried to shush her, but it was already too late.

They backed away with a laugh.

“Why ew? Can’t I kiss my boyfriend?” Zuko asked his little sister with a hand on his heart and a shocked expression.

“Hm….. no. I want to kiss Sokka..!”

They both gasped. 

“You can’t kiss him, he’s _my_ boyfriend..!” He had a hard time holding in his laughter.

Kiyi ran over and clung onto Sokka’s side. Sokka picked her up and teasingly looked Zuko in the eye as he kissed her cheek.

Zuko gasped loudly for dramatic effect and Kiyi just stuck her tongue out at him.

“You can’t want to kiss him like I do…! He’s your brother-in-law..! Or do you not want him to be your brother-in-law anymore?”

Kiyi froze, her eyes widened and she instantly tried to wiggle her way out of his arms.

“No! He is my brother-in-law..!”

Sokka pulled an impossibly smug face at Zuko. “You know… for me to actually be her brother-in-law… we’d hav-”

“Oh stop it you..!” His cheeks were warmer than he liked and unfortunately, or perhaps very, fortunately, even in the dim aquarium light Sokka could still see it. 

He always loved kissing his blushing cheeks so Zuko knew what was coming next. A soft press of lips on one cheek, another quick peck, and then a turning of his head and two more kisses on his other side too.

“I love you.” He whispered to his skin.

They said it too often, they knew that, but after all this time of waiting and then waiting, even more, they just couldn’t help themselves.

“One day,” Zuko promised him once more.

The next thing they arrived at was the feel area. The place where the kids got to stick their hands in the water and harass the animals. It was both fun and uncomfortable. Sometimes they would see the kids absolutely torturing a starfish or another poor critter, and they’d have a hard time not telling the kids to stop. 

It was just sad to watch these poor animals getting treated like this. 

“That scene in Finding Dory really ruined this for me.”

“Yeah, same here. I can’t believe I hadn’t realised how stressful this must be for these animals until I saw that…” Zuko replied as he was gently petting one of the starfish. It was unclear if it liked it or not.

Sokka kept pulling Kiyi’s hands away from eyes and mouths and claws.

“Sweetie, please be careful.”

“Why don’t you just leave the kids alone?” A father asked with an annoyed tone. “This is the twentieth time you’ve told her to be careful. Just let her feel, she’ll be fine.”

“ _She_ will be fine, yes,” Sokka replied, immediately filled with irritation. Zuko had to put a hand on his back to keep him grounded. He sighed to calm himself and then continued slightly less irritated. 

“I don’t want to teach the kids that it’s okay to hurt animals. These are all living creatures in here, I don’t want her to hurt them. I want her to know that these critters can get hurt if she pokes them too hard or in the wrong place. Excuse me for wanting to teach her to be kind to all living things.”

He shot the man a serious look before turning back to the little girl and smiling at her. 

The man scoffed and made a puking sound when Zuko pulled his boyfriend closer. “Right. You’re really trying to teach her the right things… you’re not even keeping your disgusting lifestyle to yourself. You’re exposing a child to that.. that.. gross stuff.”

“Man, shut up.” Sokka sighed. He was so done with people like him. 

Thankfully, Kiyi knew what the man was talking about and she felt extremely protective of her favourite boys. And so, she turned around and hung her arms around his neck. She looked at the man and stuck out her tongue.

“You’re stupid.” She spat at him. It was barely an insult, but the way she had said it made it sound like the worst thing she could possibly say to him.

Sokka couldn’t help himself when he chuckled. He pulled the girl closer to his chest before making her look him in the eye. “Kiyi. You can’t say that.”

“But he was being mean..!” She protested.

“He was. But there’s no need to bring ourselves down to his level.” The man grumbled beside them, his anger was clearly only getting worse, but they ignored him.

Kiyi thought for a moment. Sokka wasn’t sure if she understood what he had meant, but after a few seconds, she nodded and unclung herself from his neck.

She moved to say goodbye to all the critters she had touched and then grabbed a hand of each of the boys and pulled them along.

“Come on, let’s go somewhere else.” She said sternly.

The two young men looked at each other with surprised and impressed looks. She really just made a very grownup decision.

When the little girl came to a stop in the gift shop Zuko crouched down and took a hold of both of her hands.

“Sweetie, that was a very grown-up thing you did there. Walking away without creating a fight. I’m really proud of you.” His smile and tone were so genuine the poor girl didn’t know what to do. It was nice and all to be told you did something right, but she didn’t quite understand why her decision had been so right. 

So she smiled, shrugged and hugged her big brother. “Thanks! Can I buy a toy?”

Sokka chuckled and pulled her into his arms next.

“You have your priorities straight I see.”

“You don’t.” She chimed before skipping away.

The boys looked at each other with surprised faces until they both burst out laughing.

“I mean, technically she’s not wrong!” Zuko laughed.

Sokka tried to continue to laugh but the sound of Zuko’s laugh was just so rare and beautiful he couldn’t help but quiet down just to be able to hear it better.

“Stop that.” Zuko tried to shove him away.

“Stop what?” 

“That look you’re giving me..!”

“What look?” Sokka continued to tease as he stepped closer and pulled him back into his arms. “I’m not giving you a look at all.”

Zuko rolled his eyes and was already leaning in for a quick kiss. They kind of had a deal after all; if Sokka was being ridiculous he just had to kiss him. It was really quite simple.

“Gu-huys..!” Kiyi whined from the next aisle. 

Sokka couldn’t help himself when he nuzzled his nose against Zuko’s.

“I think she’s calling us from a certain aisle..” He winked. “remember that? In the grocery store?”

Zuko turned red in an instant. He definitely did remember that. Sokka had been walking him down the soup aisle arm in arm... and all he could think about was walking down a very different aisle… Both of them dressed in gorgeous suits, Kiyi in a glittery dress, their eyes glistening with tears and love…

“Hm… no I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Sokka snorted. “Yes you do, idiot.”

Zuko just pulled him in for another very quick peck, and then let him go. “That’s a conversation for another time.”

Thankfully for the little girl, the last few hours of the day went by without them being _too_ in love. They happily walked around the gift shop, trying to find something cute and affordable to buy for her. They had already bought her a toy around lunch, but Sokka had paid for that one so Zuko promised he’d buy her something else. 

Kiyi, of course, did not protest. Two gifts were more than she had been hoping for.

When they had finally figured out what to buy they went to get an early dinner and then ice cream after.

They had an absolute blast hanging out with her. It was just so much fun to treat her to almost everything she wanted. Sure, they were spending too much money on things she’d inevitably break or lose… but that wasn’t the point. The point was to grant her happiness. Albeit sometimes temporarily, it was still happiness. They were still making memories she would keep with her for the rest of her life.

And for now, that was enough for the two young men. The idea of having a lasting impact on Kiyi was already making them emotional just thinking about it. They couldn’t help but imagine how wonderful and rewarding it would be with their own little one. 

Zuko nodded to himself, as Sokka was driving them home. He would get what they both wanted.

One day

The next time Sokka tried to ask the question was at the beach. Kiyi had asked if she could go to the beach with them ever since she had learned to swim. Zuko, with only one functioning eye, didn’t like the beach at all. So he had been unsure about it for weeks, months even. But after Sokka reassured him he'd look after him just about a hundred times, he managed to change his mind.

It had only been about two weeks since their last outing with the little girl, but she had been asking about it since before they got together. Zuko had said no every single time. She kept being more and more disappointed that her brother didn’t want to do her favourite thing with her, and it hurt him, but he was just too scared.

On this day though, he was going to be happy and confident. For her. He didn’t want her to know that the worst thing that ever happened to him was the reason he didn’t want to go to the beach with her. So, he was here, confident, smiling, …and clinging onto Sokka.

“Come on Zuzu! I want to feel the water!” Kiyi yelled over her shoulder as she entered the sandy part of the beach.

“You go first, sweetie, I’ll be right behind you..!” He grimaced at Sokka.

“Baby, you know I’m a master swimmer, things will be okay.”

Zuko laughed at that. “I don’t know about the master part, but I know you can swim somewhat well.”

“Oh, come on _Zuzu_ , I grew up next to the water. If _I’m_ not a master I don’t know who is.”

Zuko shot him a look of dramatic disbelief. 

“You grew up next to freezing cold water, I hardly believe you swam a lot.”

“Okay okay, but you know my dad’s a lifeguard. In fact, I texted him and he’s working today, so you’ll have two masters watching over you and Kiyi.”

Zuko sighed, he was still worried. He appreciated Sokka’s efforts but his anxiety was just a tad too strong.

Sokka squeezed his hand. “All jokes aside, you’ll be safe. I promise.”

Zuko nodded. “Thanks, hun.” He pursed his lips and turned his face to him, asking for a kiss. 

Sokka pressed a quick kiss on his lips before stopping them both.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? We can still leave if you want."

"Of course we can't leave, look at her..! She's already having a blast."

"We can though. We can always explain to her that you're uncomfortable. We can always leave."

Zuko groaned. "Ugh."

"Why ugh?"

"You're too nice. Just tell me to suck it up."

Sokka took a step back in surprise. "Never..! Your comfort is important to me. I'm not some dick who doesn't take your feelings seriously. You're important to me. All of you."

Zuko grumbled as he tried to force his emotions back down.

"Thanks, I guess."

Sokka didn't take offence. He knew he hated feeling strong emotions in public. So he just pulled him close and did his usual little trail of kisses. From his forehead, to his nose, down to his lips.

He smiled at him and waited for Zuko to nod.

"Let's go get her."

He pecked his lips one last time before running after Kiyi. He was glad it was such a low tide because he still had plenty of time to get to her before she reached the water. 

He ran up to her and picked her up with a wild “Aargh!”

The little girl screamed at the top of her lungs. 

“Well, I’m deaf now,” Sokka complained with a laugh. He loved her so much.

Kiyi wiggled around in his arms until Sokka turned her around properly. “That’s your fault.”

Sokka gasped dramatically. “My fault?! How dare you say that..!”

Kiyi was about to tell him exactly how when she spotted a familiar face.

“Uncle ‘koda!!” 

She threw her hands up and slapped Sokka in the face.

Hakoda came jogging over with a grimace. 

“Are you okay, son?”

Sokka waved it off as soon as Kiyi had clawed her way out of his arms and into Hakoda’s. She clung to his neck and almost choked the man.

Zuko soon joined them by their side and he proudly took a hold of Sokka's hand. He wanted everyone around them to know they were together. He had mostly crossed the point of being terrified of the public. Mostly. They hadn’t run into many homophobes yet. That, and his confidence was building; he wanted a whole life with Sokka, and he wanted everyone to know it. 

Well, maybe _wanted_ wasn’t the right word. He _needed_ it. Because he wanted to be confident and proud before they actually started thinking about kids. He didn’t want to bother a child with his own discomfort and anxiety. That wasn’t fair. He was feeling better about it though, thankfully. 

“Hello, sir.” He spoke politely. 

Fathers however…. Those were terrifying… Even worse with Sokka because he had two. He didn’t spot the other one anywhere near them though. Thankfully.

Hakoda shook his head with a laugh. “Son. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Hakoda? You are my son…” He looked at Sokka with an expression he couldn’t place. “… _in-law_ …” He looked back at Zuko with a smile. “…after all. So why would you call me sir?”

“Right, sir- I uh I mean Ha…koda…” 

Zuko still felt uncertain about calling him anything but sir. The man was so comfortable and at ease and wholeheartedly kind, it just…. unsettled him. He wasn’t sure why.

Kiyi was clinging to his neck like her life depended on it and Hakoda clearly loved it. He was good with kids, just like his son. There was truly no reason to fear him. 

Perhaps it was because the man was so different from his own father that it just all felt off. Like somewhere inside of him he thought all fathers were supposed to be assholes. He tried his best not to think about that though, because that thought led to a floodgate of anxiety about himself as a father. It made him think he should _never_ be a father on the off chance it would turn him into his own abusive father. He never wanted to do that to his own children. 

Thankfully Hakoda knew all about his past and knew exactly when to distract him from his spiralling thoughts.

“So how are my favourite young men?”

Sokka raised an eyebrow at his dad. “Favorite? Wait till I tell Aang about that.”

“Oh, shut it,” Hakoda said with a soft punch to the shoulder. “Two of my favourites then.”

“I’m good,” He turned to face his boyfriend, “how are you, babe?” 

Zuko shrugged. “I’m okay.”

“You’re such a bad liar.” Sokka chuckled before kissing his cheek. “He’s terrified.” He pulled him closer by his waist and Hakoda was smiling warmly at them. It was clear he loved and supported them. It was clear he wanted them to be happy, and yet Zuko couldn’t shake the feeling of distrust. Perhaps it was because he already had anxiety about their surroundings and that just made his other anxieties worse…

Whatever it was, he was trying his hardest to ignore it. That was not a conversation he was going to have with his father… in-law… sort of… almost… Soon..?

The four of them continued to chat until Kiyi had enough of waiting. Zuko took her from Hakoda’s arms and put her down on the sand. 

“Let’s go put our stuff down, huh?” He said reaching out a hand. Kiyi took it and happily pulled him along to the perfect spot. 

“I’ll give you your boyfriend back in a moment,” Hakoda promised. There was a tone to his voice he couldn’t place.

He smiled back. “Sure thing. See you later!” He waved awkwardly and then let himself get dragged away. He had to shake his head to stop thinking about that tone of his voice. It was just his anxiety, nothing more… 

Hakoda’s gaze became serious the moment he looked back at his son.

“Get your hooks in him already.”

Sokka sighed and laughed at the same time. “I’ve been trying..! He just thinks it’s too soon.”

Hakoda’s eyes widened. If his eyes could’ve left their sockets they would have in that moment. “Too soon?! Six years is too soon?” He was so loud that Kiyi and Zuko had heard him. He tried his best to ignore it. Maybe that had been the tone..? Was he disappointed in him because he wouldn’t get married to his son yet?

“Dad,” Sokka said seriously, quiet enough so Zuko couldn’t hear him. “I’m going to mention it again today.”

“Mention? You’re not going to get down on one knee?”

“I just don’t want to go for the whole thing and officially ask him just for him to have to gently let me down. That wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

Hakoda chuckled. “God, you’re such an adult now.” 

Sokka laughed with him. “Hardly.”

His father continued to laugh for a moment before nodding firmly. “Okay, son. Keep me posted.”

Sokka nodded. “Will do. Shouldn’t you get back to work?”

He shook his head. “I’m on a break. I have a couple more minutes.”

“Are you coming to sit with us?”

“Nah, I think you need to go calm your boyfriend. He looks stressed.”

“Oh, you know how he is with beaches… He’s terrified. I promised him we’d look after him and Kiyi.”

“Did you tell him you’re a master swimmer?”

“I did..!” He said loudly before pouting. “He laughed at me..!”

Hakoda chuckled and squeezed his son’s shoulder. “He’ll learn eventually. For now, go be there for him.”

“Hey, I’m always there for him..!”

“I know, I know. I taught you well, my boy.” He gave him a gentle shove in the right direction. “Go. Make him realise you’re marriage material.”

Sokka shook his head with a snort, said goodbye to his dad and then moved over to Zuko and his little sister.

He sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him. He kissed his cheek and leant against his head. 

“You’ll be okay.”

“Is… Is it okay if I stay here? I’ll look after our stuff.”

“Yes of course. Are you sure though? I could just stay close to you? I could hold your hand. Or I could carry you on my back.”

Zuko chuckled and placed his hand on Sokka’s opposite cheek, pressing him closer. 

“It’s fine. I can watch.”

After a few more minutes of Sokka promising he’d keep him safe they came to an agreement; Kiyi and Sokka went swimming, Zuko watched their stuff and watched the two of them play with love-filled anxiety.

He loved them very much but… he didn’t dare join them. First of all, he didn’t want to take off his shirt and show the world his other scars too, and second of all, he was terrified of being in the water with one functioning eye and about 1,5 function ears. He had waterproof hearing aids, but they hadn’t brought back all of his hearing and in a place as noisy as this, that wasn’t a good idea. He would just hear noise and nothing else.

He was okay though, just looking at them was fun too. It was perhaps a little bit lonely, especially since so far their outings with Kiyi had been a lot of fun together as a happy little family, and now he was… alone... But Sokka kept grinning in his direction after every stupid thing he did to get Kiyi to laugh, and that helped a little bit.

When they returned, they ate lunch together on their towels. They chatted and joked and laughed and Zuko felt himself getting emotional. Maybe it was because he had been feeling a tad lonely earlier. But as they were sitting there having a fantastic time, it hit him just how happy he was. 

Not only was he having a blast again, just like he had come to expect of their hangouts with Kiyi, but he was also just feeling so blessed that he could just have this whenever he wanted to. He lived with his boyfriend, his mother, step-dad and half-sister lived close by and he could have this every single weekend if he wanted to.

He felt so happy and so blessed in the moment, that it made him realise how he hadn’t felt this way... ever… 

This was everything he could have ever hoped for. Everything he did always hope for. But at the same time, everything he thought he would never have.

As soon as Sokka noticed the look on his face he placed his hand on top of Zuko’s.

“You okay there, babe?”

He looked up with tears in his eyes. “I love you.”

Sokka nodded with a sad smile. “I know baby, I love you too.”

Zuko leant in for a kiss, and Sokka, instead of just leaning in, crawled over to him and wrapped his arms around his neck. He kissed him deeply, fully expecting Kiyi to interrupt them with an _ew_ or odd kissing sounds. She didn’t though. Maybe she knew they needed this moment. Or maybe she was just distracted by a bird. Who knew.

(It was the bird).

When Sokka finally backed off he giggled softly. It was one of Zuko’s favourite sounds. Sokka was a happy and smiley person. He laughed easily and a lot. But there was one thing he barely ever did, and that was giggling. Actual, proper, giggling.

He didn’t believe in angels, but sometimes he thought that if they existed maybe Sokka would be one. His giggles sure sounded angelic.

Or maybe he was just in love. 

“Whoops.” Sokka continued to giggle as if Zuko hadn’t just drifted off into a daydream about an angelic boyfriend. “You’re covered in sand.” He tried to wipe it off his cheek but alas, he just brushed more sand into his hair.

He decided to ignore it, and looked his boyfriend in the eye intently. “You deserve this.”

“I deserve sand on my face and in my hair?” Zuko chuckled.

Sokka knew what he was doing, and he knew why too. And so, he leant in, pressed the softest kiss to his lips and then rubbed their noses together. Sand fell off as he did so.

“You deserve to be happy. You deserve to love your life. You deserve to have me and Kiyi and all our fun memories.”

Zuko shivered at those words. He hated how Sokka had to remind him of those things over and over but, every time he heard them he believed it a little bit more. It was a small victory. He was so thankful for that. He couldn’t wait to let it all go and be happy in peace. 

“…and you deserve…” He pecked his lips. “…every kiss…” Another peck. “...and more.” He winked at him, and then quickly got pulled into another kiss by a blushing boyfriend.

They kissed passionately for a moment. They couldn’t help themselves. 

They knew where they were though, and more importantly, who they were there with. And so, they backed away all too soon, with blushes and dopey smiles.

When they turned to face Kiyi she was just happily eating her grapes and feeding a small bird in front of her.

They watched her for a moment. She talked to the little bird as she fed it the crumbs of her sandwich. 

Zuko slowly turned his head to face Sokka again. 

“I want kids.”

Sokka looked back with a grin. “Marry me first.”

Zuko couldn’t help himself when he rolled his eyes and let out a sigh like he usually would. He wanted it too. He _wanted_ to get married _so much_ , and then he could have at least one kid with him, and he wanted that sooner rather than later. He just felt conflicted because they had been going so slow and then suddenly they were going so fast.

“You know my answer.” He whispered, his eyes shining.

Sokka couldn’t stand those whispers in the best way possible. They were probably the best thing he could ever hear. Those taken aback, lost in thought, and deeply in love kind of whispers. They were everything. He just couldn’t help but kiss him again. Softly. Slowly. Lingering for as long as he deemed acceptable.

When he broke the kiss, he let his lips hover right in front of Zuko’s. Just to emphasize his next words. You know the answer, Zuko had said.

“I do.” He whispered to those lips, knowing full well what it would do to him.

Zuko closed his eyes and sucked in a shaky breath. 

_Oof_. How much longer did he have to wait? How much longer until he was sure they wouldn’t regret it later? Would they regret it if he married him right then and there?

Sokka moved away with a smug face. His boyfriend slowly opened his eyes just to sigh and roll his eyes at him.

“You did that on purpose.”

Sokka just shrugged. “Maybe so.”

“Stop quoting memes.” Zuko shoved him away. Gently, of course.

“Why?” He leant right back.

“You’re going to _turn into_ a meme at some point.”

“Would that make me the meme of your dreams?”

Zuko shot him an annoyed look and rolled his eyes even more dramatically than before. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling though. He tried with all his might, but his lips just kept curling up more and more.

“I can’t believe I’m in love with you.” He tried to sound grossed out. He failed miserably.

“Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself.” The younger man said with a happy sigh.

Zuko just shook his head and leant in for another quick kiss.

“You’re ridiculous.”

Sokka shrugged. “I try my best.”

“Only because it makes me kiss you.” 

Sokka looked away and pulled a thoughtful face. “Hm….Yep.”

“Are you two done? I want to go play!” Kiyi whined loudly from next to them.

The young men laughed and quickly started cleaning up their things. 

“Yes, sorry!”

“Yes yes, we’re coming.” 

Sokka shoved their leftovers into their basket before grabbing his backpack and pulling out a bunch of things. A shovel, a rake, a bucket, all kinds of shapes to fill up. All child-sized of course.

“Do you want to build a castle?” He sang to her. 

Zuko groaned. “Thanks for that. Now I have Frozen in my head.”

“You’re welcome!” He singsonged with a wink.

Zuko shook his head as he grabbed one of the shovels. He was going to love today for the rest of his life.

They spent an hour building a giant sandcastle. Every time they thought it was finished Kiyi would put two fingers to her chin, look at it thoughtfully and then decide it needed more.

Every now and then she would leave to go get some shells for windows and doors and the boys would take a moment to be gross and in love. 

Kiyi’s words. Not mine.

At one point Sokka was making a trench around the castle and Zuko had bravely opted to go get some water to put into it. It was his way of still being able to say he felt the water without having to go swimming at all.

When he came back Sokka was looking up at him with mischievous eyes. 

“Do you think…” He started, gesturing to the trench. “If we handed Toph a photo of this… that she could make a nice ring for one of us?”

Zuko was absolutely speechless. He stared blankly at his boyfriend for a solid minute before sighing his heaviest sigh yet. 

“Are you saying you want a sandcastle wedding ring?” 

Sokka blinked at him, faking surprise.

“Who said anything about _wedding_ rings? I just said ring, nothing more.”

The older of the two, handed the bucket of water to his sister and then dropped to his knees in front of Sokka. 

“You are, without a doubt, the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met.” He pinched Sokka’s chin, just because he couldn’t help himself, and then used that chin to pull him in for a kiss.

Sokka shrugged immediately after the kiss. “I was just saying… She needs some kind of an idea to make the rings special. We can’t just tell her to do whatever.”

“We’ll talk about that with her. When it’s time.”

“But maybe she does need us to make a mould or something? Who knows.. maybe she needs a fantastic mould like this trench right here..!” 

Zuko shook his head with love-filled eyes, but decided to let the subject go. Instead, he just looked at his little sister and pulled a face at her.

“Soso is a weirdo, don’t you think so Kiyi?”

“Yes!” She called out enthusiastically. “And I _love_ him!” She raised her chin proudly.

Neither of the grown-ups were sure if she was making fun of Zuko for being done with Sokka, or making fun of Sokka for being absurd. It didn’t really matter though, because all three of them were laughing.

They were laughing and happy, and the young men’s hearts were warmed and growing in size. This was what they wanted. These silly moments right here.

When they locked eyes they could see it in the other’s gaze. So it only made sense for them to kiss again. Maybe it was a bit much. Maybe they were obviously in the first year of their relationship. It didn’t really matter. They were enjoying it and that was more than either of them had believed they would have. 

When it was time to pack up their things and go to the car they felt the mood switch to a little bit more of a sombre one. 

They weren’t sure why. It wasn’t like they were never going to do this again. The beach was relatively close, they could borrow Kiyi at almost any given time… there really wasn’t any reason to be sad. Except that they were.

So when Kiyi, upon dropping her things in the trunk of the car, suddenly decided to mention she had promised to bring home some shells… well, let’s just say it took them less than five seconds to decide to stay longer.

Zuko made a quick call to his mother and all she did was laugh and tell them to have fun.

“Alright. Let’s go for a walk then. No sitting down, no building a sandcastle, just looking for shells. Deal?”

“Deal!” Both Kiyi and Sokka exclaimed. 

Kiyi shot her Soso a look of disbelief. She was clearly copying her big brother but it just made Sokka love her even more. He ruffled her hair and picked her up to kiss her cheek, before putting her down and letting her run back to the beach.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” He asked as he slipped his hand in Zuko’s.

He shrugged and nodded at the same time. “Just keep holding my hand.”

Sokka squeezed their fingers together tightly and then brought their hands up to his lips for a quick kiss. “I promise.”

Zuko snorted. “Geez, you don’t have to make such a big deal out of it.”

“It’s a big deal to you, so it’s a big deal to me.”

Zuko tried to scoff but it just came out just as emotional as he was feeling.

His boyfriend bumped shoulders with him as they walked. 

“I’m really proud of you.”

“Hm.” Was the only sound Zuko could force out of his tightened throat. Damn that boy for making him feel things.

They walked back down to the beach, chose a direction to walk in and then started walking on a sandbar. It wasn’t much of a bar, but they still had to walk through some shallow water to get there. It was a big step for Zuko, but as long as he could keep on his clothes and didn’t have to go swimming, he knew he’d be alright. 

They spent another hour getting absolutely toasted from the sun. Thankfully they had remembered to put extra sunscreen on Kiyi, but unfortunately, they had forgotten about themselves. 

Sokka seemed fine for the most part, he was browner but not burned. Zuko however… he was growing redder by the second. He didn’t mind though, it was just his arms and the front of his legs, and he was actually kind of looking forward to Sokka demanding to help him take care of it. He loved how careful and soft he was when he took care of him. 

“Hey look! This shell has funny lines!” Kiyi said as she showed her big brother a nice looking shell.

“I think he’s lost in his head again, sweetie,” Sokka said when her brother didn’t respond. He carefully elbowed him in his side.

Zuko blinked awake. “Huh?” 

Sokka motioned to the little girl, who immediately grinned again and showed the pretty shell.

“Oh wow, that’s beautiful! That looks like a lightning whelk.” 

She handed it to her brother.

“Here, you keep it. It looks like your scar.”

Zuko laughed. “Didn’t I just say that it was beautiful?”

“Yeah. It is.” She nodded. To her, nothing odd was said there. She turned around and continued to look for shells as if she hadn’t just said the sweetest thing.

“Oh.” He uttered quietly. He couldn’t help but touch his face. “Th-thanks.”

Sokka was looking at him in the soft light of the sunset with a tilted head and a gentle smile tugging at his lips. 

“Yeah… She’s right…” He reached out and let his fingers drift over the outer lines of his scar. “Beautiful.”

“Sokka..!” He swallowed heavily. “The fact that she says things like that in public is one thing, she doesn’t know what it does, but you..?”

Sokka’s smile didn’t falter. “What? I can’t admire you in public? I can’t tell you a truthful thing in public? I can’t agree with your little sister in public?”

Zuko rolled his eyes and stopped them both. “Not unless you kiss me.”

“Oh. Well, don’t mind if I do..!” He immediately pulled him in by his face and pecked his lips several times before lingering on the last one.

His gaze roamed over his face up close. “You’re beautiful.”

“Actually, _you’re_ beautiful.” Zuko returned easily. He still had to get used to how easily he could just say that.

“You’re _both_ beautiful, now let’s go! I want more shells for mommy!” Kiyi was stood in front of them with both her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.

The grown-ups burst out laughing, and both stepped over and leant down to kiss a cheek. 

“Don’t worry sweetie, you’re beautiful too.”

She stuck her chin in the air proudly and then ran away with a gasp. She had found another pretty shell.

The boys laughed and continued their beach walk hand in hand. 

“Hey, what would you do….” Sokka started as he picked up a shell. “...if I just handed you a shell with a ring in it?”

Zuko snorted so intensely he had to cough afterwards. 

“I would throw it back into the ocean.”

Sokka clutched his chest with a theatrical gasp. “You wouldn’t... Tell me you wouldn’t…”

“Why? Did you? Did you put an actual wedding ring into a shell just to pick it up and show it to me?” 

“I didn’t but now that I’m thinking about it, that would be a really cute proposal!”

Zuko pulled Sokka in by a hip and a cheek. “I love you dearly, but that would be ridiculous. Even for your standards.”

Sokka contemplated fighting him on it. He had literally considered doing that today. But then again, he didn’t want Zuko to know his full plan, so he just kissed him instead. 

He’d have to think his plan over again. He couldn’t plan a whole proposal just for Zuko to think it’s a joke again. Especially if he would just throw the ring away..!

They continued to walk until they had a bag full of shells and the sun was close to disappearing into the ocean. It was probably the most romantic thing they had done in a while.

Sokka pulled Zuko down to the ground and hung an arm around his shoulders, leaning on him heavily.

“Let’s watch the sunset.”

Kiyi sat down in front of them, leaning back against them both.

“Only if we can take a selfie.” She declared.

The boys couldn’t say no to that; they’d love a photo of this moment too. They took about twenty.

It only took a minute or two for the sun to disappear completely. It was beautiful and romantic and they felt so much love it was almost overwhelming.

They held their favourite little girl close as well as each other, and breathed in the moment.

“We should do this more often.”

“We should.” Sokka agreed. They definitely should.

They got lost in each other’s eyes for a moment. A moment that was allowed to last minutes only because Kiyi had fallen asleep against them.

Sokka ended up picking her up and carrying her to the car. It was a very cute look, this limp, absolutely passed out girl, hanging over his shoulder. Zuko couldn’t help but trail behind him just so he could take a photo of it and send it to his mom.

Later on, when they were in the car, he took a photo of her when she was strapped in her seat too, and sent it to their mom as well.

As much as his mother always rolled her eyes and sighed at all these photos with hearts and heart eyes, he knew she loved them all.

He loved them a lot himself too, and he knew Sokka did too, so he saved them all in his special folder of all his favourite moments. He absolutely could not wait till the moment that folder was filled to the brim with happy memories.

It already was though, he still had photos of Kiyi as a baby in there. There was one in particular that he had looked at a thousand times. It was a photo of Sokka, holding a newborn Kiyi with tears in his eyes. He had been so damn in love with him that day. And he still was.

He wondered if Sokka’s face would look the same while holding their own little baby. Maybe it would be the same…. maybe it would look even happier and filled with even more love…

He couldn’t wait to find out.

The next time Sokka mentioned getting married was only two weeks later. Ursa and Noren had planned a weekend away for just the two of them and the boys had promised to look after Kiyi.

The first day they took her to a park by a lake where she could swim and run around and there were even boats they could rent. Not that they would.. for Zuko’s sake.. but still.

This was not the day he mentioned marriage just yet, but it was a day that gave him another reminder of how badly he wanted that life with Zuko. How badly he wanted to get married and cry as he told him his sappy and, hopefully, hilarious vows. He hadn’t written them yet. 

Or how badly he wanted to talk about whether they were adopting, if it’d be a local baby or one from further away or if they were going to find a surrogate mother. Or how badly he wanted to celebrate Father’s Day in a happy light and not one where Zuko was sad until they visited Hakoda and Bato, and the men tried to joke Zuko into happiness. 

He knew his dads meant well but it always ended up being more awkward than anything else.

This particular day in the park made him realize all sorts of things, not just future things. He also realized how the early summer light was absolutely gorgeous on Zuko. Or how he would sometimes catch Zuko taking in the sun with a soft smile, thankfully he wasn’t that sunburnt anymore, and how that was the cutest thing ever. Then again, everything Zuko did was either the most gorgeous or the cutest thing ever.

“Soso! You’re dreaming again..!” 

Sokka shook his head and quickly turned away from his boyfriend to face Kiyi. 

“Sorry sweetie pie, your big brother just looks so gorgeous in this light.”

Zuko snorted to hide how the word gorgeous still flustered him. He never thought the word gorgeous belonged anywhere near a description of him, and yet it was Sokka’s favourite word to describe any part of him. Including his scars. He wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to that.

“I thought you said I was always gorgeous?” He teased, just so he wouldn’t give himself away.

“Take the compliment you piece of…” He looked him up and down. “…absolute… sugary deliciousness.”

Zuko groaned and tried to shove Sokka away, but Sokka just took a hold of that hand and used it to pull him closer. He pecked his lips and then beamed at Kiyi.

“I’m all yours. What were you trying to tell me before I got distracted by this absolute tall glass of ginger ale?”

Both Kiyi and her big brother snorted at him. 

“Ginger ale?!” Kiyi exclaimed, on the verge of laughing hysterically.

“Yeah,” Sokka said as if it was obvious. “He is tasty, has a very rooted way of living, like ginger, there’s a sweet spice to him, like ginger, and every single glance at him feels like the world’s most satisfying drink. When I look at him I feel both drunk on his intoxicating beauty, and cleansed by his hydrating gaze.”

Kiyi gaped at him with a frown. She didn’t understand a single word he just said.

Zuko, on the other hand, snorted before pulling Sokka closer as he shook his head.

“You’re so full of shit.” He whispered before kissing him harshly.

It didn’t last long because the moment their lips met, Kiyi’s gasp registered. He backed away with wide eyes.

“Ooohhh! Zuzu said shit!!” She was staring at him with a hand in front of her mouth. She had never heard her brother curse before. He had very carefully made sure of that.

Sokka bit his lip and quietly snickered. 

Zuko tried to pull his best disapproving look but just ended up laughing with him.

“You’re so ridiculous, Sokka, I love you so much. I can’t believe that I love an idiot but shit…” He winked at Kiyi, now aware that he said it. “…I love you so, so much you complete and utter buffoon.”

Sokka still wasn’t used to his declarations of love. Especially not the ones that just burst out like he had no control over them. Did he truly love him so much that he couldn’t hold it in? Was he bursting with love? For _him_? Of all people… Of all the options he had… _Him_.

He pulled him in by his neck and kissed him desperately. 

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” He kissed his lips, the tip of his nose, and then a trail over to his ear. He whispered to him quietly, attempting a private moment, “I’ll never get enough of those words. Hearing them and saying them.”

“Yeah…” Zuko agreed breathily.

When the two of them finally got themselves to get back in the moment and actually interact with Kiyi, she pointed a finger at him. 

“You said a bad word, Zuzu. I’m going to tell mom.”

“Well you said it too, so I’d have to tell mom that too.”

“Well, no…. I just said that you said shit, but I didn’t say shit-oh…” Her eyes widened. “Oh no…” she whispered to herself. 

The boys shared a look of smiles and heart-eyes before turning back to the little girl.

“How about this…” Her big brother started. “How about you don’t tell mom about me, and I won’t tell her about you.”

“Hmmm… okay… but only if I can get fries for dinner!”

Both young men laughed at that. They had already planned to eat fries.

Zuko pretended to hesitate, and Kiyi quickly exclaimed they didn’t have to be the good fries, they could be any fries! 

Zuko finally agreed and then pulled his little sister into his arms.

“I love you too, Kiyi.”

She hugged him tightly and Sokka soon joined them.

“Yes, we both love you too, sweetie.”

They sat there hugging each other for a while, like a little family. They get a little bit emotional about it. So emotional in fact that Sokka forgets to bring up marriage at all.

So instead, Sokka was forced to mention it on day two. They go to an indoor playground and it’s chaos.

The playground they were going to that day was somewhere a little further away. Zuko had done his research and this one seemed to be the safest.

The drive there was their regular chaotic singing mess. Sokka actually joined in this time but, since he didn’t have to drive this time, he did also film the siblings for a little while. And of course, he sent the video to Ursa.

**Sokka to Ursa: I’m the luckiest man alive!** **😍😍😍😍😍😍**

Ursa just replied with an eye-roll emoji. She was happy for them but sometimes the boys were maybe just a tad too in love. Don’t get me wrong, it was cute, it was just that sometimes it was so sweet it was like freshly made caramel. 

At the playground they let Kiyi do her thing for a while. They just sat down at a table with a drink, holding hands and chatting about nothing as they watched her play. It was cute; she kept coming back to tell them about something she had found or a friend she had made.

They had arrived a little bit late in the day though, and so after a while her new friends slowly but surely started to go home. It was fine at first, she could play with the other kids… but after a while, they had all left and she didn’t feel like making new friends again with the kids that had just arrived.

“Will you come with me?” She asked with puppy dog eyes.

Zuko caressed her cheek. “There’s no need for those eyes, we would have joined you either way.” He looked over at Sokka. “At least, I will.”

Sokka grinned at the siblings. “Of course I’m coming too. They have lockers right?”

Kiyi pointed in the direction of the lockers and waited impatiently for the boys to pack their things.

“How about a bathroom break first?” 

Kiyi put her hands on her hips and gave him an annoyed look. “I can go alone, Zuzu. I’m six now, remember?”

“Wow..! Hold it with the sass young lady, I have to go too.” 

She blinked at him, her sass slowly fading. “Oh…” She shrugged. “Okay.” She grabbed his hand and started pulling him away.

Zuko resisted just long enough to let Sokka kiss him quickly.

We’ll be right back, okay?”

“Sure sweetie, I’ll be here.”

Sokka put their stuff in a locker with a blush. He hadn’t called him sweetie since that first _accidental_ time. Before they were a thing. He loved the pet name dearly but at the same time it was one that was just so soft and tender, it felt too intimate to be out in the open.

He felt like it should be reserved for mornings where the other doesn’t want to wake up and you kiss their cheek softly and call them sweetie until they wake up. It should be reserved for candlelit dates and private nights and vulnerable moments. He loved casual babes, darlings and honeys. Those were great words to call each other when others could hear them. Sweetie was for moments of vulnerable love.

And so when they returned and he locked eyes with Zuko, he blushed even more. 

The look of surprise Zuko gave him in reply made things even worse, and then when he stepped over and put his hands on his hips he felt like he might crumble a bit. 

“Hey sweetie,” Zuko uttered quietly. 

So, he had been thinking about it too, huh?

“H-hey.”

Zuko was leaning closer and he couldn’t handle it. Not in a place as public as this. He wanted privacy for moments like this, yet they seemed to have these moments in public the most. He looked over at Kiyi to get away from the intensity of the moment and because of that Zuko kissed his cheek. 

It’s not what he was going for, but he wasn’t going to complain. His cheek was fantastic to kiss. That lovely warm and soft patch of skin was perfect for his lips.

Sokka dared a glance at his boyfriend, who instantly leant in and kissed the corner of his mouth. Sokka was thankfully quickly distracted enough to push aside his flustered state. He let him lean in and kiss his lips softly too.

“Hah, reverse first kiss.” He uttered.

“Hm?”

“I did the same as you did for our first, real, kiss.” He moved his hand up and pressed a single finger to his cheek, before moving on. “Cheek… corner… lips.” He pulled his finger down, dragging Sokka’s lip down with it.

“Zuzu..! Soso...! Can we go yet?” Kiyi whined from next to them.

“You’re right, we should stop. Sorry, sweetie.” 

Upon hearing the word again, they both looked at each other. How come one word could have two vastly different vibes? It’s either a normal thing you say to kids or an utterly tender thing you say to your partner.

Sokka took a hold of both their hands and squeezed Kiyi’s to make her look up. 

“Sorry, we’re no fun anymore.”

“You’re still fun..! Just also more annoying.”

The two adults couldn’t help but laugh at that. They knew it was true so there really was no use in going against it. And so, they stayed quiet and joined her in the soft, bouncy contraption. 

As they climbed their way through a bunch of obstacles, neither of the young adults wanted to admit that it was actually a lot of fun. They chased her around, jumped on the trampolines, slipped down the slippery stairs several times, went down several slides, and avoided one really steep one.

They played for a long time, just simply goofing around and chasing each other, but after a while of avoiding the one area, Kiyi had enough. She wanted to go down the big steep slide and her favourite grownups were going to join her if they wanted to or not.

“I really don’t think I can do this,” Sokka whispered to his boyfriend.

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you’re afraid of heights..!”

“It’s not the height I can’t stand, it’s how steep it is.” He tugged on a strand of hair with a shaky hand, a thing he only ever did when he was really nervous. “I’ve seen several kids get hurt on that slide today..!”

Zuko took a hold of both of his hands. “Babe, have you seen other kids get hurt too?”

Sokka nodded slowly. He breathed in deeply and then like a waterfall, let it all burst out.

“When I was a kid we had a similar place to this one close to our house. We went there all the time. A lot of parents didn’t like it because kids got hurt there really often but Katara and I loved it so much we always begged dad to take us there. It was before he had met Bato. There was one big slide that I always avoided and the one day that Katara had finally convinced me to go down it… we saw a kid basically tumble off it, fall really weird, and hit his head so hard he passed out. There was a lot of blood- ph god there was so much blood…! And the place actually closed down after that...”

He swallowed dryly. 

“The kid survived, I think he’s fine now, I don’t know, but I… I don’t know if I can do this.”

“So that’s why you kept asking me if the places I looked up were safe. Like an insane amount. I was worried you thought I’d be reckless with Kiyi, but I get it now. I’m sorry, Sokka. I promise you this place is safe. All the reviews were good. I couldn’t find any reviews or articles about accidents or anything.”

Sokka nodded nervously. Thankfully the circles Zuko’s thumbs were drawing on his hands were calming him down a little bit.

Kiyi clung to his waist and looked up sadly. 

“You can do it Soso, I believe in you. I will hold your hand if you’re still scared.” 

Sokka closed his eyes with a smile. She was such a sweetheart.

“My dear, sweet Kiyi. You’re the best.” He freed one of his hands and caressed her cheek. 

As he looked down the slide next to them he tried to decide if he could do it. He watched a kid scream with glee as they slid down and landed safely in the ball pit at the bottom.

“You don’t have to do this, Sokka.” Zuko squeezed his hand, concern evident on his face.

“I’m scared but.. on the other hand, I don’t want to let one event scare me into never going down these kinds of slides anymore… What if we have kids later and I can’t go down slides with them..! I don’t want to be a bad father..!”

Zuko chuckled fondly. “First of all, that is ways away, second of all, you will be an amazing dad, and also, it sounds like you’re talking yourself into doing it anyway so I’m not sure what to say here. Just know that if you don’t want to do it you don’t have to.”

“It’s okay, babe. I think I can do this.” He nodded, still uncertain but wanting to. “thank you though.”

Zuko pulled him in for a quick kiss and then gave him a nod. 

“What if I go first and then you and Kiyi can go when I’m down there?”

Sokka kissed him again. 

“I love you.” 

“And I love you.” He squeezed his hand one more time. “So do you want me to go first?” Sokka nodded with an eye roll. Zuko kissed his cheek, Kiyi’s forehead and then walked to the edge of the slide. 

“See you on the other side,” Sokka said nervously.

Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes. “God, you’re so dramatic, babe. You’ll be able to see me the entire time.”

Sokka nodded and motioned for him to go.

He slid down the slide no problem. It went fast because he was an adult on a children’s slide, but it was safe.

Kiyi grabbed Sokka’s hand and sat down with him.

“Ready Soso?”

He nodded with a soft smile. He was thankful for how sweet she was. Oh, how he loved her. 

She squeezed his hand, just like her big brother had just done, and then they slid down together.

“Wheeee!!” She yelled happily. She loved the fast slide so much that when they got to the bottom she immediately made her way to the ladder to go again.

Sokka, upon falling into the ball pit, tried to stand up. He felt a little bit dizzy from his nerves and the adrenaline in his body and as he tried to find Zuko he lost his balance and tumbled backwards.

Zuko, who had thankfully been standing right next to him, wrapped his arms around him before he could fully fall back and hit his head. He waited till Sokka had opened his eyes and then pulled him up to a standing position.

“You’re okay, Sokka. I’ve got you.”

Sokka gazed into Zuko’s eyes feeling lost. It all went so fast he had barely registered it. He breathed out a heavy sigh when it finally dawned in on him that he was okay. 

“If it weren’t for you, I would never grow old.”

Zuko wanted to roll his eyes but Sokka was already pulling him into a loving kiss. It lasted long enough for the kids around them to notice and get grossed out. 

They moved away from each other but Sokka didn’t let him move away far. Zuko wanted to laugh with the kids and apologize, except the look in Sokka’s eyes kept him from doing so.

Sokka smiled at him with all the love he felt. It was so much that Zuko's heart skipped a beat. It was hard to get used to that gaze. 

Sokka sighed happily. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Zuko raised his eyebrow and shook his head fondly.

“No.” His boyfriend said. “I’m serious. I want to marry you.”

This time Zuko was the one who pulled him in for a kiss.

“You know my answer, Sokka. One day. I can’t wait to marry you either.”

If you asked Sokka why he had tears in his eyes, well then he would say that it was the wind from sliding so fast, or an eyelash had fallen into both his eyes, or maybe he would exaggerate and say that he did bump his head and he had tears in his eyes from the pain… None of those were true though… No; it was the confirmation. Not only did Zuko still want to marry him, but he couldn’t wait for it either. 

A part of him had thought that Zuko was having second thoughts. That maybe it turned out that dating him was too much or somehow not enough. That maybe he kept saying one day, when really he meant, one day I’m breaking up with you. He thought that perhaps he was unhappy in their relationship but didn’t dare to mention it. Or that maybe he had been so forward about everything that Zuko felt forced to agree with him on everything, including marriage. 

But no. It turned out that Zuko did actually want this too. In fact, he wanted it _soon_.

“You’re overthinking things, aren’t you?” Zuko’s arms wrapped around his waist as he looked at him concernedly.

“I…” he swallowed heavily. “Yeah…”

“Have I been saying so many I love yous that you don’t believe them anymore?”

“You’d tell me if something’s wrong, right?” Sokka asked instead of answering his boyfriend’s question.

“Sokka. Nothing’s wrong. And yes, of course, I would tell you.” He moved one hand up to cup his cheek. He pecked his lips one… two… three times. He lingered in the last one. “But… I don’t have to tell you anything except that I’m so incredibly happy.”

Behind them, Kiyi was sliding down for the third time, completely at peace with just sliding over and over.

“Zuko… I…” He had no words. They said they loved each other so many times that he was searching for something bigger. 

What a fantastic problem to have… Loving each other so much that love becomes the new normal. For the longest time, Sokka’s normal was aching and yearning for something he thought he’d never have. And yet here he was, creating a new normal with the person he has loved for so long. A new normal where I love yous are said many times throughout the day, just simply because it was so true.

“Get out of your head, Sokka,” Zuko whispered to his lips. He kissed him softly. 

He was too late with kissing back. 

“I’m sorry.” _I just never thought I’d ever be this happy._ He thought it, but he didn’t say it.

When Zuko looked around his boyfriend to find his little sister he saw her happily playing with another little girl. He grabbed Sokka’s hand and started pulling him away.

“Come on, let’s go get a drink.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Sokka replied absentmindedly.

Zuko hated that. He hated it when Sokka got lost in his head and he didn’t know what was going on in there. He hated how distracted it made him and how it made him feel like he didn’t know how to help.

So instead of helping, he decided to try to take his mind off things. So he joked and he teased, and he took the long way out. Just so they could play around and feel a little bit like kids again. That was something neither of them had experienced right. Maybe they could make up for it a little bit by acting like kids as adults.

They had to squish between rolls and climb nets and crawl through small spaces, and Zuko would just compliment his ass or laugh at his fails until his boyfriend was smiling again.

It was going really well, but… Zuko wanted to just add a little tiny bit extra.

“Hey, remember how I said we should get married soon?” 

Sokka’s eyes widened and he instantly straightened.

“How could I ever forget?”

He was so intense Zuko couldn’t help himself when he rolled his eyes with a laugh.

“Anyway, what if we do it here and I make you look for the ring in the ball pit?”

The younger man gasped. “How dare you! We would get divorced immediately.”

Zuko laughed and stuck out his tongue to which Sokka just gave him a quick kiss. 

“If you did that to me I would just have to hide your ring in the… in the cake.”

Zuko shrugged without missing a beat. “That’s fine, more cake for me.”

They paused for a moment and then burst out laughing. They teased each other all the way to the exit of the contraption and were laughing loud enough for the other adults to notice them.

They were both so happy.

Sokka was thankfully pulled back into the euphoria of getting married to Zuko one day and he couldn’t help but smile so much his cheeks were starting to hurt. That had become a habit for the two. In the last few months, they had just had so much fun that they kept walking around with painful cheeks from smiling and laughing so incredibly much.

Sokka, now smiling more mischievously, pulled Zuko against him and pressed himself up against the wall as they were giggling, and then kissed him deeply.

Neither of them noticed that they were being watched; too lost in their little bubble of love.

“I can’t believe I have this…” Sokka whispered when they paused their kiss. A single finger tapped his cheeks, his chin, and then dragged along his chest. “You are mine… and I am yours…”

There was a hint of a smirk on Sokka’s face and though Zuko knew he was genuinely captivated by the fact that they’re dating, he also knew there was something else he was about to pull.

“I swear to god Sokka, if you start singing I’m yours..!”

He hadn’t even finished his sentence yet when Sokka started to sing. “Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it!”

“You son of a… boatman..!”

Sokka grinned. He was so proud of himself. “I tried to be chill but you’re so hot that I melted.”

“Sokka…!”

He just continued, knowing it would annoy him, and potentially get himself shoved into the wall and kissed harshly.

“I can’t believe I like you!” Zuko complained.

That changed the game.

Sokka gasped and then immediately started to sing another song. “Shot through the heart! And you’re to blame!”

“Wait what? What do you mean shot through the heart?”

Still to the tune of the song, absolutely not fitting it right, he answered. “First you say you’ll marry me and then you say you like me? What a step down..! And you’re to blame..!”

“Oh, come on..!” He laughed. “You know I-” Suddenly Zuko spotted the other adults. Most of them were watching the two of them. He swallowed harshly. “I…” He looked back at Sokka, his social anxiety clear in his eyes. “You know what I want to say, right?”

He didn’t mind people knowing they were together, and he definitely wasn’t ashamed of anything, but people _knowing_ was different than people _looking_. If people were specifically looking at them his anxiety would go crazy. He loved it when other people knew he was taken, and in love with an idiot, but people seeing them? People purposely looking while they’re kissing? That was a nightmare.

Sokka pushed himself away from the wall and reached out his hand. He knew how Zuko felt about strangers watching them like they just existed for their entertainment.

“Yes babe, I know what you mean.”

He pulled him along to their locker to get their stuff. It was time for a distraction.

“Do you want coffee or tea? I’ll go get some for you… and I was thinking… I’m craving a cookie or something else sweet, do you want anything?”

Zuko smiled warmly at him. He knew what he was doing, because he had just been doing the same thing for him. What a pair they were.

He was about to answer when a man in a uniform and a nametag that just said “Boss” and no name, walked up to them.

Sokka frowned. They hadn’t broken anything, right? Was there a rule about adults not being allowed into the thing?

He kept holding on to Zuko’s hand as the man started to speak to them in a stern tone.

“We do not accept such behaviour in this place young men.”

“Pardon?” Sokka blinked, uncertain. He could feel Zuko holding onto his hand even tighter and trying to disappear behind him. His social anxiety had already been triggered, this man being all stern and disapproving was definitely not making things any better.

He sighed. His tone got more annoyed as he spoke. “I mean..! We do not allow adults to have a make-out session in the kids’ areas. You can kiss outside all you want, but you cannot get into the ball pit just to make-out. That is inappropriate behaviour and I am asking you two to leave.”

“I- Oh…” Sokka blinked, and then put on a sad face. “Oh… I was just in there because when we were kids we were here all the time and well, we had our first kiss here. Before we figured everything out, you know.” He pointed between Zuko and himself. 

“...but as kids, we had our first kiss here and then years later we got together and well, I wanted to propose to him in a special place, and I thought what better place than the place we had our first kiss, you know? He said yes by the way..!” He grinned proudly, showing the man their intertwined fingers.

Kiyi, who had seen the men talking, came to stand next to them and pouted.

“No, that’s not true, Soso.”

Sokka panicked a little bit. “What?” He looked at her all surprised. “How do you know? Were you there?” He winked at her to let her know to play along. Hopefully. Did she know that’s what winks meant sometimes?

Thankfully the man told them they’d get away with a warning this time, but he didn’t want to ever see them do it again.

They all nodded and said thank you. As soon as the man turned around they quickly went to get their things and told Kiyi it was time to leave.

It was best to not linger after such an embarrassing public issue.

As they were walking to the car Zuko bumped into Sokka’s side to get his attention.

“Sokka this place has only been here for 5 years.” He laughed, the adrenaline coursing through his body was nice.

Sokka’s eyes widened and he froze in his tracks. Zuko nodded at him.

“Shit. Kiyi run!”

They ran to the car even though they didn’t have to because the man had seen right through him from the start. He had heard their conversation via the security cameras and decided to let it slide. They had them at all the slides for obvious reasons. He knew they weren’t creeps, but he didn’t want them to make a habit of making out in a ball pit between a bunch of children. Which was fair.

They ran and they hurried into the car and Sokka drove away quickly and then when they were a few blocks down, he parked next to a Starbucks and they all burst out laughing.

“Okay, who wants a drink and a cookie?” Sokka asked his favourite siblings.

“Me!” They both called out.

Sokka was endeared by Zuko’s happy mood and pulled him in by his chin. He gave him a quick kiss and smiled as he shook his head. “You’re so cute.”

Kiyi took off her seatbelt and climbed in between the seats, demanding her very own kiss. 

“Mommy says I’m cute too.”

Sokka chuckled and peppered her face in small kisses, making her shriek with joy. 

“That you are, my dear.” 

She hugged him tightly and he couldn’t help but hug back just as tight. He reached his one hand out towards Zuko, who he couldn’t see through the hair in his face. Zuko took a hold of it and pressed his lips to it.

It was a sweet moment. Sokka felt loved. A different kind of loved than Zuko made him feel. His boyfriend’s little sister loving him was something different entirely. Not only was she a kid and did her love feel like a blessing, but they had also been really annoying lately. Being all over each other and not paying enough attention to her hadn’t been nice of them, and yet… here she was… demanding his love because she loved him in return. It was awfully nice, to be loved like that.

He spent a minute with his eyes closed, breathing in the smell of her princess shampoo, and thinking about being a dad.

When he was starting to get choked up about it all he quickly pushed her out of his arms. 

“Let’s get you a cookie.” He smiled at her, he hoped she could see how much he loved her. “And maybe… perhaps… you should give your brother such a good hug too.” 

She beamed over at her brother and then back at Sokka. 

“YES!” She exclaimed. “I should!”

Zuko laughed as he helped her climb over to him. She clung onto him as he got out of the car. She continued to cling onto him as Sokka took his hand, and didn’t even let go when they walked into the café.

In all honesty, she was way too heavy to keep holding. The good thing was that she was clinging onto him with arms and legs and that distributed the weight, but a six-year-old is just simply… a bit much to carry around.

He still did it though. He refused to let her go until it was absolutely, undeniably necessary.

This wasn’t it though, so he held onto her as they stood in line, and still held onto her as they placed their orders.

“Would your daughter like a complimentary cookie?” The cashier asked the boys kindly.

Unlike that time in the grocery store, Kiyi did not correct the lady this time.

“Complimentary?” Sokka asked, trying to hold back his surprise.

“Yes they’re perfectly edible but we have a new batch coming so we have to either give them away or toss them in the bin.”

“Well, we did come here for cookies.” Kiyi reminded the adults with a serious face. Sokka shook his head with a smile and accepted a cookie as Zuko kissed his sister’s cheek.

“You’re a very cute family. Your drinks will be ready in a minute.” She told them with a smile before moving on to the next customer. 

Zuko reached out for Sokka’s hand, who squeezed it gently. They smiled at each other as if they knew something that was just meant for them. A little family secret. 

They were going to have a lot of those. Their fake little family with Kiyi, and their real little family with the kid they were going to have. Eventually.

It was going to be great, they _knew_ it.

When the boys took Kiyi to the children’s museum, it had been 5 weeks since they had seen each other. Zuko had never not seen her for that long and he had missed her like crazy. 

Kiyi had clearly missed him too because the moment the door opened; she flew into his arms. It was adorable and warmed the hearts of all the adults present.

She had been to the children’s museum with her parents several times before, but this time she had asked for the boys specifically. Naturally, they agreed immediately. There was no way they were going to say no to a fun day out with their favourite little girl.

It was a short drive, so the singing chaos wasn’t as bad as the time before. But Kiyi had definitely been excited to be chaotic with her big brother again, because she was singing at the top of her lungs during the minutes she did get.

When she wasn’t singing, she was telling them about the cool things they had at the museum. 

“There’s this giant tree you can climb into! And there’s a big city! And cars! And there’s a whole grocery store!”

They were pretty sure that half of the things she was telling them weren’t completely true, if at all, but they couldn’t wait to find out.

They bought the tickets, signed in and then made their way through the hallway into the play area. 

Kiyi instantly ran away. “Come on! We need to go to the grocery store!”

“Hold up, we still need to put your coat away..!”

“Oh right..!” She came running back, shrugged off her coat, let it fall to the floor and then ran away once more. 

The young men laughed as Zuko picked her coat up from the floor. They let her run. The directions were on the floor and there was nowhere for her to get lost without them being able to find her.

Besides, she knew the place, so if anyone was getting lost it would be one of the adults.

“I think she’s excited.” Sokka chuckled, his hands hovering close to Zuko.

When he had put away her coat and turned around, those hands found his waist and pulled him into a hug. 

“What’s that for?”

Sokka shrugged. “Just because.”

Zuko searched his face and then quickly pecked his lips. “Alright. I don’t mind.”

“I know you don’t.” Sokka winked with a smirk. 

Zuko withheld a dramatic sigh. “Are you going to be ridiculous again today?”

“Of course, I have to keep being myself. If I ever acted unlike myself you would fall out of love with me.” He said as he grabbed his hand and started walking backwards and pulling him along. “I can’t have that.”

“Please, you couldn’t be anything unlike your crazy self if you tried.” Zuko pulled him back just in time to stop him from walking backwards into a child. 

“Oh, thanks..!” He turned to the kid. “Sorry about that. You okay?” The kid nodded and then ran after her mother.

When they finally caught up to Kiyi, because they did get a little bit lost, she was already playing with the groceries. It was very cute. All these tiny little groceries were absolutely piled onto her tiny cart. 

“Do you really need that many groceries?” Zuko laughed.

“Yes! It’s almost Christmas and we need to start shopping early!” 

“Who told you that?” Sokka ran a hand through her hair.

“Mom did…” She hesitated. “Is that not true?”

“Well, usually you buy the things that last longer early, but some things can go bad.” He picked up an entire plastic fruit bowl. “For example, these fruits won’t stay good for the next few weeks. Or these tomatoes… Oh but the meat you can freeze!”

She thought for a moment and then shrugged. “I’ll freeze it all!” 

Sokka chuckled. “Sure. That works too. Not sure if you have a freezer that’s big enough.”

She pulled her brother closer and whispered in his ear, “Soso is so stupid, these are all fake groceries of course it fits in the freezer.” She shook her head with a laugh and Zuko pressed his lips together tightly to try to not burst out a laugh.

“You can’t call Sokka stupid..!”

Sokka gasped loudly. “Stupid?? Me?!” 

Kiyi giggled with a hand in front of her mouth and then launched herself into his arms. 

“Sorry Soso.”

“You’re excused. For now.” He narrowed his eyes mischievously to which the little girl quickly grabbed her cart and ran away screaming.

The adults laughed and Zuko couldn’t help himself when he took ahold of Sokka’s hand and pressed his lips to his cheek. “You’re not stupid at all, don’t worry. Just ridiculous.”

Sokka knew he meant it. He knew his boyfriend was aware of his insecurity about how smart he was. All his life he was told that he was just the stupid or the dumb one. Just simply because he was goofy and energetic and easily distracted. His brain had never been good enough for the people around him. 

His fathers had never really been mean to him about it but… they had just never expected anything from him because they did also believe that he wasn’t smart. They had always said that it didn’t matter if he was smart or not, that it didn’t define who he was, but as well as they had meant that, it had still hurt that they thought he wasn’t as smart as he actually was.

Now that he was older and grown-up, and knew both how to define his worth and how smart he was, he knew that they had been a little bit right. Not about how smart he was, but about what defined him and what did not. As much as it still hurt to not have been taken seriously at that age, at least their reactions had been good. 

His self-worth was not built on whether or not he understood something or knew a widely known fact. It was built on who he was. He was smart and stupid, goofy and serious, interested and distracted. And perhaps most importantly; he was kind and happy. And that was what defined him. Not just the one thing, but everything. 

He shook his head to get back to the conversation. What was it that Zuko had said? Oh right. Not stupid, just ridiculous.

Slowly a smirk appeared on his face.

“Ridiculous you say? Hmm…. There’s a bell ringing but I’m not quite sure what for…”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “See? Ridiculous.” He pulled him in by his shirt and kissed him shortly.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

The older boy knew the younger wanted to be kissed for longer, and he knew he would whine about it, so he raised his chin and wiggled his eyebrow. “What? Was it not long enough, babe? Do you need more?”

Sokka swatted Zuko’s hand away with a dramatic huff. “Sir. This is Gucci.” He tried to iron out the creases with his hand.

Zuko paused, pulled an annoyed face at him and then pulled him back in. “You are an idiot, come here you.”

He lingered against his lips for a few moments and then backed away and straightened Sokka’s clothes. 

“I promised Kiyi we wouldn’t be all over each other today.”

Sokka frowned. “Ooh, I don’t know if I can make that promise..!” 

Zuko rolled his eyes, slapped his chest and then started to walk away. He waited for a second to grab his boyfriend’s hand and then he pulled him along to grab a cart and play with Kiyi. 

As soon as she saw them with a cart she screamed. “Yes! You go buy things and then I’ll be the lady who works here!”

“Oh uh, ma’am?” Zuko started immediately. “Could you help me find the cheese?”

“No!” She chimed. 

“Oh. Oh but, I really need the cheese, ma’am.”

“No. I can’t help you.” She walked away with her head held high.

The young men looked at each other and giggled. Sokka took over for a moment. 

“Oi ma’am.” He started in a terrible British accent. “I need me beans. I need me beans and me taters.”

Kiyi tilted her head like a cat and pouted. “What are taters?”

“What art taters?!” Sokka exclaimed dramatically and loud enough for Zuko to facepalm. The whole place probably heard him yell that.

“They’re potatoes, dear. You know, like tater tots?” Zuko tried.

“Oh yeah, I know those..!” She nodded and then in a heartbeat turned to Sokka and said, “We don’t have those,” before walking away.

“Well, what do you mean you do not have those?! This is outrageous..!” Sokka exclaimed as he grabbed his chest dramatically.

They played around like that for a while. Kiyi made them get certain groceries, made up a story about them and then told them to go pay for their things.

She ran over to the register and quickly settled in before the boys walked up to her. She made them place all the items on the belt and she scanned them one by one, making her own little beeps along the way. Sometimes she would pretend the items couldn’t scan and she’d type in their codes by hand.

One time she pretended she couldn’t find a code and then leant into the microphone loudly exclaiming, “Can someone come help me with this weird purple cucumber I can’t find the code!” Then after waiting 2 seconds, turned her head and yelled. “I can’t find it either, it’s free this one time! Just once! _Once_ you hear me?!”

Sokka snickered into Zuko’s neck. He was standing behind him with his arms around his shoulders, holding him close. Zuko may have promised he wasn’t going to be all over him, but Sokka had made no such promise.

She happily continued to scan the items. And after a few more minutes she pressed some buttons on the register and finally looked up at the boys. 

“Your total is one thousand three hundred seventy million dollars.” She gave them a nod and opened up the register, her face completely serious.

“Oh. One thousand thirty-seven million, you said? Can we use coupons?” Zuko was playing along very seriously.

“No.”

“No?”

She nodded; her face couldn’t be more serious. “No. It’s three thousand five hundred seventy million, actually.”

“Three thousand? No, you said one thousand!” 

“Four thousand then.”

Zuko wanted to protest for the sake of the game but as he remembered just how tired he felt from just standing there, he decided to give in. “Can we pay by card?” He loved her very much, but if the entire day was going to be like this? He’d need a 24hour nap.

“No.”

“Can we pay… with an app?”

“Nope.”

“How about…… we steal it all?”

She shook her head with wide eyes. “Nuh-uh!”

Sokka unhooked himself from Zuko and stepped around the register, reaching out his hands.

“How about we pay you with kisses!!!” He stepped towards her, picked her up and peppered her face in kisses as she laughed and struggled to free herself.

When Sokka finally let her go she ran away quickly.

Zuko stepped closer and kissed his shoulder. “Thanks.”

Sokka looked aside and kissed his temple. “Let’s go after her before we lose her.”

They ended up finding her in the small remake of the city, sitting in a small flintstones-like car.

“Wow! Finally! There you are!” She exclaimed upon seeing them.

Sokka shook his head and Zuko snorted. 

“It’s been a minute.”

“It’s been the longest minute of my life!” She let herself fall onto the steering wheel dramatically.

Zuko elbowed his boyfriend in his side. “She gets that kind of drama from you.”

“Me?!” He looked at him with a gaping mouth long enough to make Kiyi giggle. “How dare you imply I’m _dramatic_?!” He looked him up and down and then threw his chin up in the air and walked away with a huff.

Kiyi fell out of the car from her giggles.

Zuko just stood there shaking his head for a solid minute. Sokka grinned at him from where he was picking Kiyi up off the floor and grinned proudly. He blew him a kiss and then turned to the little girl. 

“You okay there, madam? It appears you’ve had a bit of an accident!”

Kiyi, instantly getting into a new character, put on an even worse British accent than her brother(in-law). Well, almost.

“Why yes, it does. Tis because of you, my lord.”

Sokka immediately broke character to laugh and kiss her forehead. “I don’t know where you learned that but it’s great.”

“I learned it from mommy’s tv.”

“Was she watching Pride and Prejudice again?” 

Kiyi frowned. “What?”

“The one from a long time ago with the pretty dresses where they go for a lot of walks and dances.”

“Oh! Yes!”

Zuko chuckled as he walked over. “She watched it without Soso? How dare she.”

“That’s just because I told her I wanted to watch it with you, dear.”

“I will not be your mister Darcy, Sokka.” He tried his best to look annoyed, but his eyes gave him away.

Sokka got up from his crouched position and pulled Zuko close by his neck. “You already are.” He gazed at him for a moment. “Because I love you most ardently.”

“Isn’t that my line then?”

Sokka gasped, instantly proud. “So you _do_ know it!”

“You think I don’t know my mother and boyfriend’s favourite movie?”

Sokka inched closer, moving his arms to loosely hang around his neck.

“Okay fine. That’s fair. I do though… I do lo-”

“love you most ardently, yes I know babe.”

Sokka was leaning in even closer as he wrapped one arm a little tighter around his neck. He kissed him softly. 

“I… don’t know what ardently means.” He whispered to his lips. He could feel Zuko’s lips curl up. “…but I do know that I love you.”

Zuko kissed him again, a little deeper this time. 

“We’ll look it up later.” He whispered between kisses.

Kiyi allowed them to break their promise for a minute before getting annoyed.

“Zuzu! Soso! Let’s go play!”

They broke apart with a chuckle, a soft whoops, and then another quick kiss. Just simply because it was an endearing moment.

“Let’s crash some cars!” The girl exclaimed when they finally fully turned to her.

“What?!” They both exclaimed.

“I wanna crash some cars!!” She grabbed Sokka’s hand and pulled him along. “Soso, you go in this one.” She guided Zuko to another car and then got into a third one.

“Okay, now let’s drive to each other!” 

She pretended to start the car, moved it into drive and then started walking her car to the middle. The guys did the same, but held back to make sure nobody would actually get hurt.

They crashed disappointingly softly but after Zuko explained that she couldn’t get hurt and they couldn’t break anything, she accepted it. She jumped out of the car and then climbed on the hood before dramatically lying down on it.

“Oh no! I have been hit!” She exclaimed with a hand backwards on her forehead.

They played out an entire dramatic car crash. Zuko had to also get hurt and Sokka had to panic. He was so into his role that someone actually came to check on them. Thankfully they started laughing as soon as they saw the girl directing the scene.

Zuko mouthed an apology at the employee, who waved it off and left.

When the adults had finally convinced her that the scene was over and it was time for lunch, they cleaned up their mess and left for the cafeteria. 

It was a different play area with a whole fake cafeteria with plates and cutlery and more plastic food. Thankfully she wasn’t set on playing there, so they could just eat in peace. 

Well, peace except for the kids who were playing waiter and chef and kept coming to their table to ask for an order and then bring plates with fake foods for them to cut through the velcro and pretend to eat.

It was cute. Kiyi joined them for a bit after she was done eating, only because she was bored, leaving the boys to rest a little bit longer.

They sat with their arms around each other, Zuko leaning against Sokka and stealing kisses every now and then. Sokka kept combing his fingers through Zuko’s hair and stealing sniffs of his shampoo.

Sokka was watching Kiyi play, Zuko was watching his boyfriend through his eyelashes. Slowly he leant closer and tilted his head further. He tilted his chin and parted his lips. He wanted to ask for a kiss but he didn’t want to fall into deeper things in this place. He didn’t want people to see them kissing, again, and for them to get into trouble. Again.

So, he just sat there, leaning closer and closer until Sokka noticed him and finally kissed him.

It was a soft, lingering kiss. It was lips pressed against lips, and barely any movement. It was deep, slow breaths and a soft press that slowly grew firmer and firmer. 

They were trying to pour their love into it without becoming passionate, and inappropriate. It was hard but, if they were being honest, they loved these kinds of kisses too. Just a simple lingering need to be close. They knew that feeling very well. It was a feeling that used to make them ache, but now it just made them sappy.

When they were done with their lunch break they moved on to another part of the museum. This was the part about nature. Specifically, plants and trees. There were lots of plants that you could feel and even taste with a lady that worked there. 

Kiyi loved the feeling of the mint leaves, but did not like the taste. She didn’t care for the feeling of the chives but she did like the taste of that one. 

They spent forever feeling and tasting herbs until she got bored with them and moved over to the big fake tree she could play in. It was a giant tree of life looking thing, covered in ropes and handles and all sorts of things you could use to climb up. It was surrounded by a pit filled with foam pieces.

If you could reach the top you got to go down this curly tube slide on a giant fabric leaf.

Kiyi begged the young men to climb up with her. It didn’t take much convincing. They were there to have fun with her after all. But it wasn't.. perhaps.. the best idea…

They climbed up with her once. It was… a catastrophe. Zuko fell off accidentally due to his vision issues. He felt devastated but Kiyi thought that him falling was so funny that she did it on purpose, absolutely scaring Sokka shitless.

Sokka almost had a panic attack as Kiyi seemed to disappear between the foam pieces. Zuko, feeling terrible about his disability, freaked out and tried to find her, but the more he moved the deeper he got sucked into the pit. He lost a sock before he had found his sister. By then Sokka had climbed back down and jumped in to get to them. 

When they finally had all three eyes on them Kiyi was just laughing.

“That was fun!” She was completely oblivious to the horror the boys had just experienced. 

Without checking on the adults she wiggled her way through the foam and climbed back up the tree. 

“Come on guys!” She called over her shoulder.

“Uh.. you.. you go without us first..!” Zuko called with a forced smile. She shrugged and went alone without a fuzz. 

The boys reached out under the foam and tried to find each other’s hands to hold. When it took too long they gave up and reached them out above the foam. They grabbed each other by the wrists and pulled till they were close enough to hug.

The hug was short as they heard Kiyi scream and they instantly hurried away from each other to look.

They watched as Kiyi purposely jumped down again. She screamed with _glee_. She was clearly enjoying it. That didn’t make the young men’s heartbeat any slower though.

They both heaved out a sigh before falling into each other’s arms again.

When they had managed to calm their racing hearts they backed away to give the other a quick kiss.

“Ew! Hair..!” Sokka grimaced as he tried to grab the hair out of his mouth.

“I… really hope that’s yours…” Zuko pulled a grossed-out face.

“Let’s not think about it.” Sokka removed the hair and then pulled him back in. It was a quick little kiss. They pressed their foreheads together afterwards. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay now. You?”

“Mhm. Little bit shaken up.”

They spent a moment breathing each other in, fully calming themselves. And then they _struggled_ their way out of the pit. How come these foam things seemed to swallow you up the more you moved?

As they were swimming through the foam, Zuko could see that the jumping was still giving Sokka anxiety. He wasn’t feeling great about it either, so he decided it was time for something else.

“Kiyi, it’s time to stop jumping now. If you want to go down the slide you have to keep climbing up.” 

She, thankfully, didn’t protest, and instead just kept climbing to the top.

Zuko let his shoulders hang when they had finally managed to get out of the foamy pit of hell.

“What’s wrong?” Sokka was instantly concerned again.

Zuko pouted at him, sticking his barefoot in the air. “I lost my sock…”

Sokka smiled fondly. “You… are…” He brushed some hair behind Zuko’s ear. “…cute.” He kissed his cheek and then his temple. “We’ll buy you a new sock tomorrow.”

“Just one?”

“Hm….. yes.” He nodded.

He moved, helped Zuko up and then pulled him over to a half wall next to the pit. It was close to the exit of the slide so they figured it was the perfect place to wait.

She ran past, barely acknowledging them, and launched herself into the foam pit to go down the slide again.

“Well, at least she’s happy.” 

Sokka nodded as he watched her. “She is.” His hands were hovering close to him again. “Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

“Nah, my hand just slipped. I wasn’t looking.” Zuko shrugged, leaning closer to feel his warm hands through his shirt.

Sokka pressed closer too, he just couldn’t help it. He just felt this unstoppable need to be close to him.

They stood there for a while just quietly chatting as they watched Kiyi climb up the tree, disappear at the top and then reappear at the end of the slide. She was having a blast.

A few minutes later there was a parent somewhere behind them whistling as they waited for their kid. When it registered in Zuko’s ears he started to smile. He hid it quickly before Sokka could see it, and then with a serious face said, “Hey, you know I still can’t whistle?” 

Sokka looked back at him. “You can’t?”

“Nope! Never could.” He frowned seriously. “Can you whistle?” 

Sokka grinned, licked his lips and then pursed them, ready to whistle his very best whistle. 

Except.. before he could make a single sound, Zuko was pressing a kiss to those pursed lips.

Sokka blinked at him. His lips parted as he watched his boyfriend grin proudly. His eyes narrowed slowly.

“Did… did you just… out-idiot me?” He uttered, completely rendered useless by the joke. “Did you just pull something so ridiculous, it can’t possibly have come from you?”

Zuko just grinned and tilted his head proudly. Oh boy, he was so proud of himself.

Sokka had to force himself to not get emotional over his idiot boyfriend trying to out-idiot him. Instead, he just pulled him in and kissed him harshly. Again. How much had they kissed in this place?

“I can’t believe you just pulled the most idiotic joke on me...! That’s my job..! I love you!”

“I think it’s going to have to become my job if this is the reaction I get.” Zuko continued to tease.

“I adore you.” 

“You’re a sap.”

“And for once, you are ridiculous.”

Zuko wore the title proudly. Ridiculous. Ridiculously in love with his boyfriend.

“That, and I love you.”

Sokka pressed their foreheads and noses together.

“I can’t believe I have you.” He whispered to him, something oddly proud in his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re mine…” He breathed in deeply and then started singing. “And I’m y-”

“Don’t you dare..!” Zuko cut him off.

Sokka laughed and hugged him tightly. 

“Too late, you already have the song in your head.”

“Dag nabbit Sokka...!” He groaned. He loved it though. He couldn’t deny that.

They continued to tease each other while Kiyi went down the slide another twenty times. They couldn’t help but be lovey-dovey idiots. They were just so happy together.

When Ursa texted them in their group chat about needing photos, they first took a selfie together and then tried to get Kiyi to pause her playing long enough to take a photo with her.

She refused to take a photo with the boys so instead Zuko filmed her climbing and then sliding down.

“Say hi to mom!” 

“Hi mom!” She waved enthusiastically as she continued to run past them. 

Zuko ended the video, sent it, and closed the app. He quickly turned off his phone screen when he realized what Sokka could see, but it was too late.

“Zuko..! Was that.. was that Kiyi and me in the bathroom? When she was pretending she had to pee just so she could talk to me?”

“What…?”

“Was that from the weekend when she was trying to set us up?” It was and he knew it, but he still needed Zuko to say it.

“What, I can’t have my favourite people as my background?”

“I’m one of your favourite people?”

Zuko was about to scoff and say duh but decided against it since Sokka was clearly playing with him.

He stared at him with a blank face for uncomfortably long. “…no.”

Sokka couldn’t hide his surprise but he didn’t get the time to respond. Zuko was already talking again.

“No, my boyfriend, the man I’ve been in love with for over 6 years is _definitely_ not my favourite person.” He continued without missing a beat. “Anyway, it’s a nice memory. You and her chatting in the shower, me just sitting there loving it all. You were so good with her and I felt so in love and I took that photo and I was so embarrassed and you just… turned it into something fun and I felt so relieved and I just really love you, okay.”

Sokka wrapped both his arms around his neck and kissed his nose. “I loved that moment too. Even though I was freezing, she was so cute and it made me think of having kids with you. That photo of her and me is one of my favourites.” He pecked his nose again and then his lips. “I’m just surprised that’s the one you chose. Your background has been a photo of you and Kiyi together for as long as I can remember.”

“Well, I couldn’t have you as my background before we got together, that would’ve given everything away.” He said as he held onto his hips tightly. He didn’t want him to step away.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. He motioned towards his hands. “What’s that about?”

Zuko hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“Stay with me.”

“You think I’m going anywhere?”

“You might.”

“We live together. Where would I go?”

“Anywhere else.”

“Small chance…” He pulled him closer, his lips against his temple. Not in a kiss but just as part of the hug. “Zero chance really.” He whispered against his skin.

Zuko leant into it with closed eyes. He very slowly started to nod. “Okay…” His eyes slowly opened and he glanced at his boyfriend through his lashes. Sokka’s eyes were closed. They spent a minute just like that. Sokka was waiting for a few more words.

Zuko swallowed away the dryness in his throat. “I believe you.”

There they were.

He backed away slowly, Zuko’s hands lingered just as much as his own. He pulled a flirty face the moment Zuko turned his head to face him.

“You can’t get rid of me, baby.” 

Zuko visibly melted. Sokka knew just what to do and say in his moments of insecurity.

“Sorry I made you feel bad. I meant it with all the love in my heart, but I guess it didn’t come across like that. I’m sorry babe.”

“Oh I know, Soso, my brain is just mean.”

Sokka nodded, placed both his hands on either side of his face and tilted it to press a kiss to his forehead. “It definitely is sometimes.” He bonked his nose against his forehead and then in a stern tone whispered, “You better be nice to my boyfriend you mean Brian.”

Zuko snorted. His heart the size of a building. “Brian?”

“Yeah.” He pressed their foreheads together again. “Brian is mean.”

“Most of the time Brian is good to me now.” He promised quietly.

His boyfriend pecked his lips. “I’m glad.” He rubbed their noses together. “Will you tell me if he’s mean again?”

Zuko’s voice was high when he hummed. “Mhm.”

They leant in at the same time and kissed a little deeper than before. Both of them knew this was a bit of a silly way to talk about their mental issues, but it was helpful to pretend it was just a mean friend rather than your own head trying to sabotage you.

“Ugh, are you done?” Kiyi groaned from next to them.

They backed away and furrowed their brows at her. 

“Where did you come from?”

“The slide.”

Zuko snorted, as if that much hadn’t been obvious. 

Sokka instead chose to be a little bit sarcastic about it.

“Wait. You have been sliding? And here I was thinking you had been reading books all this time..!” 

Kiyi giggled. “No..! Silly Soso! I was sliding..! You were just too busy being yucky with Zuzu.” 

“Yucky? We were just being boyfriends..! That’s not yucky..!” He said dramatically.

Zuko sighed just as dramatically at his two favourite people. “Are you two ready to go somewhere new?”

“Yes!” Kiyi exclaimed so loudly it startled Sokka. She giggled once more. “Sorry Soso.”

Both adults took a hold of one of her little hands and together they walked to the next spot she wanted to go to. The theatre.

As soon as she saw it she let go of their hands and hurried her way into the dressing room. There were piles of clothes to choose from, a bunch of plastic props and even some face paint to put on.

When they turned the corner to see her, they found her already hoisting herself into a glittery outfit. Sokka stepped over to help her as Zuko searched through the props for something fun.

Kiyi made both of them wear costumes too, even though they only had kids’ sizes. They looked absolutely ridiculous in their outfits. Especially after Kiyi was done fixing their hair. Thankfully she hadn’t made a fuzz when they had said no to face paint. At least they didn’t have to clean that off later.

They made their way onto the stage, and Zuko heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was there to watch them. He played along without worry, making Kiyi very happy.

They played and played and then played some more. The little girl was insanely creative with all her ideas. She was acting and singing and directing the adults and they all had a blast. 

It was another reminder for the young men that they really wanted kids. Not just to play with them of course, but also to raise into an amazing human being and then get emotional about having had that impact. They already got emotional about the effect they had on Kiyi. 

From time to time, she would do or say something that could only have come from them and they would look at each other with deep emotions evident in their eyes. It was just such a beautiful thing. To have a lasting effect on someone without even knowing you’re doing it.

“It would be great for her to have someone to play with,” Zuko said when Sokka grinned at him, after finishing yet another scene with her. 

Sokka stumbled over his feet to get to him. “What did you just say?”

Zuko smiled knowingly. 

“Did you just imply what I think you’re implying?” Sokka was absolutely shocked beyond words. “Did you just… I- Did y- Am I cor- Zuko..?” 

Did he just imply they should adopt a kid Kiyi’s age? Soon? Like it was nothing?

Zuko couldn’t help it when he smirked at him with a glisten in his eyes. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re so mean.” He got all up in his space, hovered in front of his face for a solid second, and then left.

“Now who’s mean?” Zuko whined.

Sokka just grinned right back at him. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Zuko rolled his eyes with a smile. He may have uttered an “idiot” under his breath but no one had heard that.

The next scene they played out was the final one they had time for that day. Sokka knew that it was now or never when it came to asking a certain question, so he quickly pulled Kiyi aside and told her to direct them in the right direction.

They played out a very dramatic love story, one that could fit right in with the classics. Zuko’s character died, Sokka had a dramatic goodbye scene in which he almost cried real tears, and then Zuko came back to life.

“Oh, my love!” Sokka exclaimed as he ran towards him. “My love, am I dreaming?” His hands rested on his chest.

“No Sokka. It’s me.”

“His name is Jared!” Kiyi said sternly. For the third time in five minutes.

Zuko closed his eyes and resisted the urge to protest. Jared did not suit Sokka. It was completely wrong.

“No… _Jared_... It’s me. Your love.”

Even worse than Sokka’s character name was Zuko’s, who she had happily named…. Zukkulent…

“Oh, my dear Zukkulent..!” Sokka tried his very best not to laugh at the name. “Why did you leave me?!”

“T’was my time, but I was pulled back by your love..!”

“My love, I never want you to leave me again.” He got down on one knee, pulled an invisible box out of his pocket and opened it up to him. “My dear Zukkulent, I wish to never be parted from you again. Marry me.”

Despite the tears in Sokka’s eyes, Zuko couldn’t hold in his laugh at the absurd name mixed in with such a heartfelt question.

Sokka glanced over at Kiyi and his face instantly became mischievous. 

His boyfriend tried to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

“What if I was serious?” Sokka’s eyes were glistening with mischief.

Zuko just laughed even more at that. “You know my answer, you absolute buffoon.” He pulled him back up and kissed his lips.

“One day.”

“But when?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“You know why, Sokka. Don’t be ridiculous.” Zuko shook his head. He couldn’t stop chuckling. “You’re so cute, you know that?”

Sokka shrugged. “I’ve been told.”

Zuko wrapped his arms around his waist. “You’ve been told you’re ridiculous?”

“Oh yeah, that too.” He nodded lightly. “I do seem to recall that meant something though.”

The older guy shook his head with a smile and leant in to kiss him once more. Sokka smiled and happily wrapped his arms around his neck as he kissed back. He was okay with this answer, for now. He still had a plan to get him to finally actually say yes, and he was getting to that part slowly but surely.

After they cleaned up their costumes, and Sokka had picked his phone up off the ground and turned off the camera, they went to get dinner with her. They left the children’s museum, promising Kiyi to go back there again soon because they hadn’t seen it all yet. 

Dinner was thankfully quiet and without much chaos. Everyone was tired and the longer they were sitting the more their bodies started to switch into slumber mode.

Sokka drove home, the siblings both asleep in the car. He took a photo of them when he had to wait at a traffic light. He sent it to Ursa, Katara and his dads, with twenty hearts, of course. Because well, he was in love, and he was allowed to be. In love with Zuko, in love with life, in platonic love with Kiyi and the idea of having kids. It was just a really nice moment and he wanted to share that with all the people he loved.

Zuko woke up as he took the last turn towards Ursa and Noren’s house. 

“We’re here?” He asked sleepily.

“Yes, dear.” Sokka rubbed a hand over his boyfriend’s knee and smiled at him when he could take his eyes off the road.

“Will you bring her home? I’ll turn the car around.”

“Yeah, sure.” He yawned, stretched and then looked over his shoulder to see his little sister sound asleep.

When Sokka stopped the car he got out, carefully took Kiyi’s belt off and then carried her out of the car and over to the house. 

Ursa had already been expecting them. Sokka had given her an ETA and had, as per usual, been correct to the minute. How he did it nobody knew.

“How was it, dear?” She asked as she took Kiyi from his arms.

“It was great.” He caressed Kiyi’s hair and kissed the side of her head. “She’ll sleep tight. It’s been a crazy day.”

“I’m glad you had a good time.” His mother smiled at him with a look in her eye that he’d rather not see. He knew it wasn’t pity, but it kind of felt like it. It was a look of, _I know you’ve had a terrible life for a long time and you deserve this_ , but it felt more like an, _oh you poor thing, never knowing happiness until you’re a full-grown adult.. and it’s mostly my fault…_

She pulled him in with one arm and kissed his head. Her eyes were still showing that pity and regret. He couldn’t look her in the eye.

Ursa knew what was going on and she hated it more than she could describe. So instead, she tried to change the mood by asking a question. “Did anything fun or crazy happen?”

It worked. He chuckled. 

“Oh, so much. She’s a little weirdo. We had to pretend to be in a car crash so that was new. Sokka pretended to propose again, which wasn’t new. I fell down a tree, Kiyi purposely jumped down the tree… it was eventful.”

“Oh dear god, again? Will that boy ever stop joking about marriage?” 

“I doubt it.” Zuko laughed with a warm heart. He didn’t mind the jokes. He loved them if he were really honest.

His mother groaned a little bit. “It’s already having quite the effect on your sister.”

To this Zuko frowned. “How come?”

“Her teacher told me she keeps proposing to the kids in her class. All the time. Any chance she gets.”

Zuko’s lips were pressed together to stop himself from laughing, but his eyes and his blush gave it all away.

“Whoops?”

Ursa laughed, ran a hand through her son’s hair and then told him to go home. “It’s late. You look exhausted.”

He nodded. “I am.” As he said that he yawned as if triggered by the reminder.

“Good night, dear.”

“Good night, mom.”

“Good night, Sokka.” She waved at him and he waved back through the opened window. 

Kiyi stirred awake and looked around through barely opened eyes. “Oh, hi mom.”

“Good night, Kiyi!” Sokka called at her from the car. He waved and blew her a kiss and she waved back lazily. 

Her brother gave her another kiss, wished her a good night and then he went back to the car. They waved again as they drove off.

Later at home, when they had gotten into bed Zuko cuddled up to Sokka and laced their fingers on his stomach. 

“My mother said Kiyi has been proposing to the kids in her class.” He said from his chest.

Sokka laughed surprised. “What?”

“Yeah, she says you’ve talked about getting married so much she now thinks that’s just something you talk about all the time.”

“Huh…” He said thoughtfully. “Maybe we should put a stop to that then.”

“Hm? Nah…” Zuko mumbled before kissing a trail of kisses up his neck and over his chin. “It has something… the idea of us getting married one day being so super normal… don’t you think?”

“You know how I feel about that.” Sokka laughed softly. His laughing got cut short by two lips now pressing against his own. 

“One day, baby.”

Sokka nodded. He knew that answer. He was working towards a better answer though. A yes. A soon. A Right now.

He didn’t have everything ready yet though, so for now, One Day was going to have to do.

The next time Sokka continued with his plan was when the two young men took Kiyi ice skating about a week before Christmas. 

Three weeks after the children’s museum the boys were hoisting a tree into their apartment. Thankfully it was wrapped in a net to minimize the mess and damage. 

Sokka turned on some tunes as Zuko struggled to open up the net without ruining the tree. 

They spent the next hour messing with putting up the tree. 

“Alright. I think it’s good now.” Zuko sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead.

Sokka hung himself around his shoulders and observed the tree from further away. “Yeah… this should be good, right..?”

The tree was… well, not entirely straight. It was standing though, and that was enough. It had a fresh wound and water to drink from, so… it was good. Probably. For now.

As they stood there the next song on Sokka’s playlist started playing; it’s the most wonderful time of the year. He instantly started swaying the two of them.

“Hm yes, gay happy meetings.” He kissed his boyfriend’s cheek. “That sure is true.”

Zuko turned around in his arms and started to sway very slowly. Sokka was instantly smirking. The boy did not like to dance, it made him feel too insecure, but the fact that he was trying… it was everything.

He started swaying a little bit more obvious, hands on hips, eyes shy. 

Sokka pulled him closer and pressed the quickest kiss to his lips, hoping it wouldn’t make him stop dancing. 

“Very gay and very happy meetings.”

Zuko moved his hands up to his neck and pulled him back in. He continued to sway very minimally as he kissed him. Sokka melted into it. The song made it feel like a special moment, just for the two of them. 

Neither of them really celebrated Christmas, but they had both decided, the first year they started living together, that they would decorate and play songs and perhaps get each other 1 present if they could afford it. Just for the sake of change in their boring day to day lives. And for Sokka, it was an excuse to sing his favourite songs at the top of his lungs.

This year they were going to do it a little bit bigger, just because they were together now. Also, they didn’t want to part ways on Christmas eve just to go to their own families. The past years they had already missed each other during those hours. It’s not that they didn’t love the family that they were with, but back then… well the holidays just made their yearning even stronger.

They were going to see them for New Years though. Hakoda and Bato had invited Iroh and Azula, and after some persuading the young woman, they had finally agreed. But for Christmas, it was just the two of them. Just how they liked it.

“Have you decided what you want this year? We only have a week left.” Zuko asked when they finally paused their kissing. 

Sokka was a little bit lost in his love for the guy and couldn’t help himself when he uttered, “You.” 

Zuko was also a little bit lost in the moment, so for once he didn’t sigh or roll his eyes or groan. Instead, he just pulled him back in and kissed him softly.

“You already have me.”

“Then I need nothing this Christmas.” 

Zuko hesitated bringing up a certain thing with rings he’d been talking about for months, but he was afraid to bring down the mood so he decided against it. 

They swayed in silence until the next song started. It was Bring Me Love, by John Legend. Sokka instantly started to dance more wildly.

“I don’t need my stocking filled with toys.” He sang along. He pulled Zuko along to dance more freely. 

“I don’t need no gifts to bring me joy.” Zuko joined in carefully.

“Baby ayay haven’t hung my mistletoe.” Sokka sang loudly.

They continued at the same time. “cause without you baby I can see no point.”

They danced more and more as the song continued. 

“Bring me love this Christmas, because I deserve you here.” Sokka continued to sing along, a little bit out of breath from dancing.

Zuko was enamoured. He didn’t have time to feel that way for long though, Sokka was set on getting him to dance freely. It took him a while, but when he finally got there they were dancing around the whole living room.

Sokka picked up a garland, hung it around Zuko’s neck and continued to dance with it. 

Zuko couldn’t help himself when he joined in the singing too. He didn’t know the words as well as Sokka did. Sokka had been listening to Christmas songs for weeks. He usually listened to them on his way to work and would then bother Zuko when he got them stuck in his head throughout the day.

He didn’t mind it though; they were nice moments. Especially this moment here. Dancing and singing around the room, Christmas decorations around their necks, grinning so much it hurt, it was definitely one of his favourite moments this year.

“How long do we still have?” Sokka asked him while dancing around the tree.

“Another hour or so, I think.” 

“Great!” He exclaimed before continuing to sing. 

They sang and danced and laughed as they decorated the tree. It was a beautiful morning. Hoisting the tree up the stairs of their apartment building hadn’t been great, but this right here made up for all of it and more.

They took a bunch of selfies and sent them to their loved ones. Hakoda demanded a video and so Sokka filmed Zuko dancing as he hung an ornament in the tree. Sokka danced his way over to him, making the video horrible to watch, and then turned his phone around to film them together. He kissed his cheek and looked at the camera. 

“We’re having so much fun!” 

He ended the video and quickly, to make sure Zuko wouldn’t get self-conscious about people seeing him dancing. He sent it to his dads, and also to Ursa because he knew she would love it too.

They continued to dance and sing as they decorated. It took way longer than it needed to, but who really cares if you’re having fun.

Sokka pulled Zuko with him onto the couch with a sigh.

“Wow. I’m exhausted..!”

Zuko laughed. “We need to pick Kiyi up in 30 minutes.”

“30-minute nap?”

“How about a coffee and a cuddle?”

Sokka’s gaze became impossibly loving. “Deal.” 

Zuko got up and pulled Sokka up with him. He protested but as Zuko reminded him that he would fall asleep if he did nothing, he stopped whining.

They made their coffees together, chatting about the holidays and their next outing with Kiyi. 

They were going to the ice-skating rink. As tired as they both were after having way too much fun setting up their tree, they were both very excited about it. They did this every year. It started out as just the two of them, but this was going to be the third year with Kiyi there too. She had loved it the past two times even though she couldn’t skate very well, but since then she had learned to skate really well. The boys couldn’t wait to find out just how great she had become.

They picked up their coffees, made their way back to the couch and cuddled up tightly. It was chilly in their home now that they weren’t dancing anymore. As they sat there all cuddled up they realized their coffees were still too hot to drink, so Zuko put them both down on the side table before getting back to the arms of his boyfriend.

Twenty-five minutes later Zuko’s alarm blared in their ears. They both rushed up and blinked furiously to get used to the light.

“Shit.” 

“We fell asleep.”

It had been so comfortable. They had been so lost in their huddled-up cosiness that they had not only completely forgotten about their coffee; they had also fallen asleep within a few minutes.

“How long do we have?”

“Five minutes max.”

Sokka picked up his mug of coffee and quickly ran to the microwave to heat it up.

Zuko chucked the cold coffee down in 2 seconds, making Sokka grimace. 

“You’re a menace.”

“Me? You’re heating up coffee in the microwave! You’re not supposed to do that..!” 

“Coffee is disgusting cold so it’s better than what you did.”

“Is it though?” Zuko walked over to the counter, grabbed Sokka’s phone and turned on his Christmas playlist again.

Sokka raised an eyebrow, to which Zuko shrugged. “Just getting in the mood again.”

He kissed his forehead as Zuko was looking down at the phone and then walked away to go get his stuff. He drank the heated coffee as slowly as he could while getting ready in two minutes.

“Alright, I’m ready. You?”

“Yup. I’m- what are you wearing?”

“What? Oh, this Santa hat? It’s just to keep my ears warm.”

Zuko shook his head and pulled him in by his waist. “I can’t believe you sometimes.” 

“It’s just cause I’m unbelievable.” He replied with his chin held high.

“That you are.” His boyfriend agreed as he grabbed his hand. He pressed a kiss to his knuckles before pulling him along.

When they picked up their favourite little girl she happily hugged and kissed them both. 

“Ah. You’re still a fan of kisses then.”

“Always!” She proclaimed proudly.

Sokka ruffled her hair with a laugh. “You and me both, sweetie.”

Zuko took her bag from his mother and got a quick kiss on the cheek. In the meantime, Kiyi had climbed up on Sokka’s back and they were running around the car while singing another Christmas song _very_ loudly. It could barely be called singing, to be honest.

Zuko rolled his eyes and smiled at his mom. “Time for some chaos in the car.”

“Get your boyfriend to send me a video.” She smiled mischievously. She knew he still got flustered when other people called Sokka his boyfriend. It had been almost a year but if people outside their little bubble-for-two mentioned the fact that they were dating… it still felt both unreal and too intimate of a thing to share. 

Somehow yearning for so long had made him feel like the past 10 months had been a dream instead of reality. 

His mother ruffled his hair and told him to go have fun. 

“I will, I will.” He said with a laugh. “Oh, and I will… get him to uh send a video.”

“Good.”

As expected, the drive to the skating rink was their usual chaos, multiplied by 10 due to the season.

They were singing, and dancing enough to shake the car. They were laughing and grinning and instead of just sending one video, Sokka sent several. To Ursa, to Katara, to Hakoda, anyone who might want to see them being insane together.

When he stopped at yet another traffic light Zuko pulled Sokka in for a quick kiss.

“Hm! What’s that for?” He shimmied as he talked.

“I just realized you’re being ridiculous is all.”

“Hm… That’s fair.” Sokka wanted to pull him in for more, but unfortunately, the light turned green.

They parked the car in the city so that they could enjoy the Christmas market that led to the ice skating rink. It was packed with people to the point of it being too much, but the feeling in the air made up for it.

It was chilly and a dark day overall but huddling up made it feel even better.

After losing Kiyi in the crowd several times they decided to just carry her around. It was heavy but so much easier than demanding her to keep holding hands with one of them. Plus she kept asking one of them to lift her up just so she could see the stalls.

They did have to keep switching between the two of them because she was, well, a healthy 6-year-old. As much as Zuko did not want to admit it, Sokka was stronger than him, and so he was carrying her around most of the time.

This was the absolute best for Sokka, because she was hanging her arms around his neck and peppering the side of his face with kisses every couple minutes.

The bad thing was that sometimes she would see something cool or tasty and she would scream right into his ear.

The other good part of Sokka carrying around the little girl most of the time, was that Zuko now had more of an option to quickly slip away and deal with Sokka’s Christmas present.

He had made a deal with Kiyi that she would keep him distracted for a while. Just so he could go to a woodcarver stand by himself and not spoil the surprise.

“I’m just gonna go to a stand back there, you keep going, I’ll be right back.” He said with a hand on Sokka’s arm.

“Oh, we can come with you.”

“Oh no, you don’t have t-”

“Ahh gingerbread!!!” Kiyi screamed enthusiastically.

Zuko grinned at his little sister and then quickly told Sokka to just go look at the gingerbread with her, he’d be right back.

Kiyi gave her brother a totally obvious thumbs up, but Sokka hadn’t even seen it.

He quickly made his way through the crowd to the woodcarver’s stand and pulled out a drawing. He had brought a _detailed_ drawing of what he wanted it to look like. It was a boomerang with carvings of the two of them at either end. And then another two of them a little bit further to the middle, this time running towards each other. And then in the middle, it was the two of them holding hands with a heart above them.

It was sappy. Oh so sappy. Except it didn’t matter because he knew Sokka loved everything handmade, and especially handmade things that were personal and sappy.

He paid for half of it in advance, got an estimated time of when it would be done, and then he quickly hurried back over to the gingerbread stand.

“Hey, what did I miss?” He said with a hand on Sokka’s back.

“Oh, just me telling her she can’t have gingerbread yet because we’re going skating first.”

“But I want it!!!” She whined loudly.

Zuko took his sister from his boyfriend’s arms. “Kiyi sweetie, he said not yet. We’ll get you some on the way back, okay?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her..!”

Kiyi sassily placed a hand on her hip. “Only if I can have the big heart!”

Sokka rolled his eyes and leant in to kiss her cheek. “I’ve already told you, _several times_ , that you’ll get the big heart. Just not now.”

She pouted dramatically and breathed in deeply to protest, but her brother stopped her with a finger to her lips.

“No. We’re not protesting. We’re going to say thank you and move on to the next stall.”

The little girl deflated against her brother’s chest. “Okay…” She mumbled into his neck.

Sokka let go of a quiet sigh. Finally.

They continued on to the next few stands and then slowly but surely made their way over to the ice skating rink. Thankfully, it wasn’t far.

While at the ice skating rink, which was outside in a square and absolutely loaded with lights, Zuko rented skates for Sokka and himself. They didn’t have enough space at home to buy two pairs. Not having enough space made him think of buying a house together. Again. He had been thinking about that a lot lately.

In the meantime, Sokka was struggling to put Kiyi’s skates on her feet. Were they supposed to be this tight or had they gotten too small? Or maybe it was just because she was too busy dancing to the songs. Or maybe because the blades looked so sharp he didn’t dare to touch them.

Maybe they should buy those protective covers for them as an extra little present this year. Just so nobody could get hurt.

When they had finally managed to put on all of the skates they carefully made their way to the ice.

Sokka fell backwards flat on his ass within the first five seconds. Kiyi, on the other hand, skated away without any trouble. Sure she had been practising, but she was six..! Six-year-olds shouldn’t be that good at ice skating, right?

Zuko skated a tiny circle, testing out how the skates felt, and then moved back over to Sokka to pull him up.

“Thanks, babe. Let’s find our girl.”

Well, let’s just say they tried. Sokka slipped and fell several times, Zuko slipped twice trying to hoist him back up, and one time Sokka slipped and forgot to let go of Zuko’s hands, so they tumbled down together.

When they had finally caught up to their favourite little girl she had already skated around several times. She was doing fantastic except for the part where she wasn’t paying attention to the people around her at all. Naturally. She had skated into children with the little penguin helpers _several_ times.

Thankfully those moments weren’t too serious, but one time, an adult going way too fast than should be allowed, almost ran her over. Sokka had to hold Zuko back in order to not create a scene. Zuko was absolutely fuming.

The man was skating on professional skates and those things are so extremely sharp he could’ve cut off her fingers. The guy didn’t even stop or apologize.

Zuko was about to yell at him even more, and maybe even use certain fingers to show just how angry he was. Sokka had to hold onto his waist and attempt to skate backwards in order to get him to not full-on attack the man.

Zuko was, mostly, in control of his anger nowadays. He had gotten lots of help over the years, but someone hurting his little sister? He would never be okay with that.

“Babe, she’s fine.”

“He hurt her!”

“She’s fine, look at her, she’s already skating again.”

Zuko looked over and did a double-take as soon as he saw her happily skating around in circles.

Sokka turned him around in his arms and pulled him as close as their skates allowed them. He moved his hands to his cheeks and held them gently for a quiet moment.

“I know you love her a lot. She knows it too. But that doesn’t mean we have to fight with a random stranger.”

Zuko nodded, heaving a sigh to calm himself. “I know.”

“We only pick a fight if she actually gets hurt. And in that case, I will gladly join you.”

Zuko pulled a disapproving face. “That’s terrible. The example that sets for Kiyi is… really bad.”

They quietly laughed together.

“We’d just have to tell her not to copy us.”

Zuko pulled him closer. “You know damn well she will.”

“Shush you and let me kiss you.”

“Anytime. Well, almost any time.”

“Almost?” Sokka gasped.

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Will you just kiss me?”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Zuko shook his head and wanted to call him ridiculous again, but before he could do so Sokka was already pressing soft kisses to his lips.

He couldn’t help but pull him closer. Kiyi was safe here, she couldn’t just run away with her skates on so they could linger a little while, right?

They ended up spending actual hours skating around, and when Sokka had finally figured it all out, dancing around as well.

“How come you’re so bad at this? You grew up with plenty of ice around you, you must have gone ice skating loads..!”

“Hey, just because I did it a lot doesn’t mean I was any good at it.” He huffed, blowing a strand of hair up into the hair, just to fall back down in his face.

Zuko pushed the strand back into his Santa hat and kissed his freezing nose.

“I just thought you’d learn eventually.”

“Look, Katara was amazing at it. She was a natural. One day she got on the ice and she was absolutely fantastic and I was… okay.” He pushed Zuko away a little bit, just to skate after him. “I guess that should’ve made me want to practice a lot to get just as good, but after trying for a couple of years I just… didn’t get any better so I stopped trying.”

“That’s fair,” Zuko said as he grabbed his hand.

“Thanks babe.” Sokka beamed at him.

His boyfriends squeezed his hand and then pulled him along to keep skating.

Kiyi was dancing wildly to one of the Christmas songs and Sokka instantly decided to join her. It looked crazy, neither of them was any good at dancing.

After a while of watching them dance, Zuko decided it was time for some hot cocoa, since he was freezing from his wet clothes and the fact that it had started snowing.

He carefully made his way off the ice and over to the hot chocolate stand. He ordered three with loads of whipped cream and marshmallows and then very carefully made his way to the railing of the ice rink.

He put down the drinks, waved at Sokka and then made them skate over to him. He pulled out his phone to film Sokka skating over to her, grabbing her hand and them skating towards him happily. They both waved at the camera when they noticed he was filming.

“Hi, mom!” Kiyi called out loudly from too far away.

“Who says it’s for mom?” Her brother asked when they had arrived in front of him.

“Who else would it be for?”

“Me and Sokka.”

She took a moment to think and then just shrugged and said “Nah.”

The adults shared a look of, _wtf why is she so weird_ , and then laughed.

“Alright then, say bye mom.”

“Bye, mommy..!” She chimed as she tried to crawl up Sokka’s leg without being careful about her ice skates.

“Ow Kiyi..!” Sokka whined carefully, trying his best to not show just how much it hurt.

Zuko quickly told her off and demanded to get back down again.

“Drink your hot chocolate before the whipped cream gets all over me.”

She took the mug from him and smooshed her face right into the whipped cream without a second thought. They all laughed at her and Sokka quickly pulled out his phone to take a photo.

She then continued to demand the boys smush their faces into the whipped cream as well just so they could take a silly selfie.

And well, they couldn’t say no to that. They loved each and every selfie they’d ever taken with her. _Especially_ the silly ones.

They continued to drink their cocoa and chat about all sorts of things. Sokka took a couple more photos because it was just so cosy and nice with all the fairy lights everywhere.

He sent some of them to loved ones, but kept some of them for himself.

When all of the hot cocoa was finished and two of the three mugs were returned, they got back to skating and dancing.

At one point there was a polonaise of people rocking it out to Sleigh Ride. Kiyi happily joined them, and skated over so fast she crashed into the person in front of her, almost dominoing the whole group over.

After the two young men were done laughing, and coughing from laughing so much, they joined in the polonaise. But not before taking a cute little video of Kiyi dancing along with the strangers. For themselves and for her parents.

They were all singing along. Even Zuko despite other people being able to hear him.

They all danced and sang and laughed and it was just such a fantastic memory that they were making. Sokka spent a couple of seconds feeling sad as he thought, _I’m going to miss this moment so much_ , but then he realized he could have moments like these over and over. The realisation made him so happy he couldn’t quite contain himself.

They continued to skate happily, wildly, terribly, and while loudly singing along with all of the songs. They danced, they played, they teased. They laughed till their tummies were hurting.

In these moments Zuko was feeling more free than he had probably ever felt. Thankfully, it was something he didn’t realise at the time. There was no moment of freezing and horror and sadness. Just moments of freezing cold and fun.

Sokka was aware of it. Even though they had had so many fun times together, he had never seen him like this. He was almost _too_ aware of it. He tried not to show just how much that made him ache, just so Zuko didn’t have to realise it.

They’d have time for those emotional moments later. At home. Where he could hold his face in his hands and kiss his skin till he sobbed. They could talk about it and he could hold him through it all, and then they could laugh from the exhaustion of it all. They could fall asleep in each other’s arms and be okay the day after.

For now, though, he just wanted to skate around and have fun. He just wanted to see his gorgeous smile, and for the lights to glisten in his eyes. He wanted to hear him sing and laugh and see him dance. It made him ache, but in a good way.

He joined back in with all the fun and happiness he was still feeling himself too. He grinned and skated right into Zuko to kiss him quickly before hurrying away as fast as he could.

Zuko gasped at Kiyi and then skated after him. He was fast. He was good at ice skating, just like his little sister. He raced around the rink until he had reached him. He grabbed his ridiculous Santa hat and continued to skate away faster than Sokka could keep up with.

After chasing after each other for a whole lap, Zuko was slowing down, because skating this fast with all these kids here was dangerous, but Sokka hadn’t seen that. He had to swerve around him to not crash right into him, but…. right behind Zuko… was Kiyi.

His eyes widened. “Shit!” He exclaimed when he realized there was no way to go around her or break in time.

Thankfully, Zuko had absolutely insane reflexes and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from her just in time. The speed with which he was skating resulted in Zuko pulling him right into his own chest and them tumbling down onto the ice.

After checking if everyone was okay Zuko laughed at his boyfriend.

Sokka just kissed him right into the ice.

“Where would I be without you?” He gazed at him for a moment, thinking about how Zuko completed him. About how he made him so incredibly happy. And about how, in idiotic moments like this, he was always there to stop him from accidentally harming anyone.

“I should marry you just to make sure I’ll never lose you.”

Zuko’s face turned impossibly soft underneath him, and for a moment he couldn’t help but pull him in and kiss him softly. Afterwards, he looked up at him with dooey eyes as he shook his head.

He thought of giving his usual answer. The easy two-word reply that Sokka knew by heart. Except it had almost been a year and things had only gotten better and better, and maybe, perhaps, Zuko was starting to think about being ready for the next step.

He knew Sokka had been joking all these times. _Well_ , he thought that. He actually hadn’t been joking once, and if Sokka had had the ring, at any point in the past few months, he would’ve proposed for real every single one of these times.

Zuko didn’t know that though. He thought Sokka had just been his teasing self, joking about proposals every couple weeks, just to try to fluster him. And so, in this moment, as he was thinking that it was both a joke and something he wanted for real at the same time, he knew just what to say. Both to speak his mind, and to fluster the boy back for once.

“You should.”

Sokka’s eyes grew wide. His mouth opened slowly and he blinked at him soundlessly. His cheeks were suddenly so warm he didn’t feel like he was out in the cold being snowed on anymore.

When he finally got his brain to function again he hurried back down to pepper him in small kisses. Zuko laughed at him and then pulled him in to kiss him deeply.

This wasn’t a real proper proposal, but maybe they actually saw eye to eye on this subject now. It was still early, and probably still too soon, but after all this time… Zuko didn’t care anymore. So he pulled him close and kissed him while his back was soaking wet and freezing as he laid there on the ice.

He kissed him properly right in the middle of the ice-rink until Kiyi smugly called out an “Ew!”

They backed away with a laugh. Sokka got up and pulled Zuko up with him.

“Why ew? Can’t I kiss my boyfriend?” Zuko asked his little sister with a gasp.

“No, you can’t.” A man spoke up from behind her. “It’s disgusting. Men should never kiss.”

Sokka sighed, Zuko tried his best not to react at all, and Kiyi… well Kiyi straightened up in an instant and flew towards the man. 

“Don’t you say that! It’s not disgusting! They are in love and it’s beautiful!” She punched him in the leg so hard the two young men hurried over to her to make sure the man wouldn’t hurt her.

“Kiyi, it’s okay. Leave him.”

“You’ve ruined your child with your disgusting behaviour.”

“She is my sister and more importantly, your opinion of me and him is in no way important to me, my fiancée, or our quality of life. We will be happy together no matter how much you hate it.”

Sokka was absolutely mesmerized by Zuko’s outburst _and_ his choice of words. He hadn’t been this confident about their relationship yet, but perhaps more importantly… he used a very specific word to describe him.

When the man left with an angry huff Sokka was clutching onto his arm.

“Fiancée?”

“Oh shut it you..! Boyfriend would have sounded less impressive.”

“It’s still in your head though.” Sokka teased.

“Just be happy I love you.”

“I am baby, I am.” He kissed his cheek for good measure.

They decided they had skated quite enough for today. Just so they didn’t have to deal with some rando trying to ruin their fun. So they left the rink, returned the skates and then spent 5 minutes walking in small circles to try to get used to shoes again.

They tried their best not to sit and rest, because they knew the exhaustion would hit them in an instant.

As they started walking towards the market Zuko checked his phone. He tried his very best to hide his giddiness when he saw the text from the woodcarver. The present was done. Oh, how he couldn’t wait to give it to him.

He pulled Kiyi back into his arms, even though they were now hurting beyond words from carrying her around, and quietly told her to distract Sokka again.

“Hey, we were gonna buy her the gingerbread heart, right?”

Sokka sighed as quietly as he could and shot Zuko a look of, _did you have to remind her of that?_ Zuko just laughed and kissed his cheek before handing Kiyi over to him.

“I forgot the ask a question at the other stall, so I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Yeah sure, we can come with you, though?”

“No it’s all good, you get her and us some gingerbread.”

Zuko quickly hurried into the crowd before Sokka could protest and come with him after all.

He made his way to the stand, almost screamed at how perfect the end result was, and quickly paid for it while thanking the man about a hundred times.

The man laughed warmly. “I hope he likes it.”

“He will. He’s gonna love it.”

Now that he had seen the end result he especially couldn’t wait to give it to him. Too bad he had to wait another week.

He quickly packed it away and then pushed his way through the crowd back to his two favourite people.

They weren’t at the gingerbread stand anymore, but instead had moved over to the stand next to it selling all kind of cheeses and meats.

Sokka was about a hair removed from foaming at the mouth as he looked at all the meat.

“Babe.” He said when he could feel Zuko’s hands on his waist. “Can we get some?”

“Why are you asking me? If you want some, go buy some.”

“I was kind of hoping for you to tell me not to spend my money on things like these, to be honest.”

“We have plenty of money together, if this makes you happy you can buy it.”

He tilted his cheek up for a kiss, smiled at him, and then bought ten different kinds of meat. Maybe it was a bit much, but Zuko had gotten used to that with Sokka. He had some issues when it came to shopping, but it was nothing they couldn’t afford.

On their way back to Ursa and Noren, Kiyi had, as per usual, passed out again. She was snoring so loudly she kept both adults wide awake. Which was probably for the better.

Not that Zuko would fall asleep while driving, but keeping Sokka up too did allow from them to have some cute moments talking about their fun day. They were happy. These were memories and photos they would cherish for the rest of their lives.

When they finally arrived back home the collapsed onto the couch together.

“Can we just go to bed immediately?”

“Don’t you wanna try your meats?”

Sokka piped up instantly, but then looked over at Zuko and relaxed again. “Nah, we can taste them together tomorrow.” He shuffled over and cuddled up to his side. “For now, I’d like to just cuddle.”

Zuko nodded as he wrapped his arms around him tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

And well, it was for a while. Until they woke up the next morning in an impossible position with quite literally every muscle in their bodies aching.

They burst out laughing the moment they locked eyes.

It was all worth it. Every hint of exhaustion and aching was worth it for all the fun and sweet moments they had.

They couldn’t wait for more.

Late at night, the evening before the big day Sokka left all of a sudden. It confused Zuko greatly, but Sokka didn’t explain it to him.

“What are you doing?” Zuko asked confused.

“I’m gonna run some errands.” He replied as if it was nothing. As if it wasn't past 9 pm.

Zuko nodded, brows furrowed, it was a little bit late for those.

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere.”

“Okay… will you be late?”

Sokka thought for a moment. “Nah, I don’t think so.”

Zuko was still confused, and somehow felt like something was wrong, but he accepted it in the end. He trusted him.

Sokka walked over to hold his face in his hands and kiss his lips. He promised him that everything was alright, because he knew he was worried. He just had some important things to discuss with a certain six-year-old before he went through with his plan.

“I love you.” There’s something to his voice that Zuko couldn’t place. Was that bad..?

“I love you too, Sokka.”

He left quickly, he hated the way Zuko was looking at him.

He drove to Ursa and Noren’s house, but felt bad the entire ride there. He wondered what Zuko thought he was doing.

While at his soon to be in-laws, he discussed his plan with them. They made a banner, chose her outfit, discussed what Kiyi had to do, and especially tried their best to make her understand she could _not_ _under any circumstances_ tell Zuko about the plan.

After Kiyi went to bed Sokka spent some time with Ursa going through photos of Sokka’s potential outfit and Ursa promised she’d make sure to go through the plan a couple of times with Kiyi so she wouldn’t mess things up. 

At the end of the night, Sokka was lying awake in bed, beyond nervous and regretting involving Kiyi. Not because she was going to be bad at it, but because there was a really big chance she was going to give it all away before he could ask him. Why did he choose to involve a 6-year-old…?

The next morning Sokka was exhausted. He had barely slept at all. He was beyond nervous.

Zuko could tell something was up, but once again, just like the night before, he couldn’t place what it was. It made him nervous. What had he been up to the night before..? He trusted him but… well, his anxiety was through the roof.

There was an uncomfortable tension in the room the whole morning.

They picked up Kiyi with a different mood than usual too. Ursa picked up on it immediately and tried her best not to give anything away.

“Have fun today you three.” She smiled from the doorway.

“We will!” Sokka exclaimed happily. Well, hopefully, that’s what it sounded like. He wasn’t entirely sure. He was just too damn nervous to be able to control his voice.

He fidgeted the whole way to the fair. They were going to a spring fair and it was going to be fun, and warm and great. Right? This was the right place to do this right? And the right time? Why was he second-guessing everything?

When Zuko stopped at another traffic light he let out a sigh.

“Okay. What’s going on?” He looked over with an expression that told Sokka there was no way out of this conversation.

“Hm? What?” He tried.

“You’re fidgeting.”

“Oh uh.. yeah I’m just.. just excited to go.” He smiled his best smile. “I heard they’re going to have some farm animals there that you’re allowed to pet and you know how she gets around animals. Especially ones she can touch.”

Zuko smiled, feeling slightly relieved. “Right. Yes, that does sound fun.” There’s still a knot in his stomach.

He wanted to ask where he had gone the night before. _Somewhere_ wasn’t good enough. Could he ask it now that he was back?

“Hey, Sokka…?” He asked quietly as he continued to drive. He purposely didn’t use a pet name. “Where were you last night?”

Sokka froze. Zuko sounded defeated. Before he could think of what to say Kiyi piped up.

“He was with us!”

“Kiyi!” Sokka exclaimed panicked before he could stop himself.

“Oh sorry..!” Kiyi shrunk in her seat. “There was just pictures and Soso and mommy-”

Sokka struggled to turn around in his seat. “Kiyi..! Stop talking..!” He tried to reach his hand far enough to cover her mouth. She kept turning away.

“Kiyi, please.” He begged, feeling defeated. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Kiyi gave it all away right here in the car. He wasn’t sure what Zuko would do either. What if it shocked him so much he hit the brakes? That’s terribly dangerous.

Zuko finally spoke up, his voice both stern and amused. “Kiyi, you have to stop talking now or I’m turning the car around.”

She stopped immediately. Finally.

Sokka turned back to face his boyfriend with a thankful face.

“Thanks, babe.”

“I’m sorry I pressed it. I… I thought you were with someone else…”

It took a moment for Sokka to realise what he meant. “Wait… What? Zuko, no..! No, I would never..!”

“I know..! I know you wouldn’t but…”

“You have anxiety, I know babe.” He smiled sympathetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a clearer answer.”

Zuko reached his hand out to hold onto Sokka’s as he continued to drive. They were okay. There was no need for worrying. He was just up to no good, as per usual.

Zuko sighed out his last ounce of worry and then squeezed Sokka’s hand.

“Let’s go have some fun.”

Sokka brought their hands up to his lips and kissed his knuckles.

“Yeah, let’s.”

And they did. They had a blast walking around the stalls. It reminded them of the Christmas market but this time warmer and less crowded. Everywhere around them, flowers were blooming. There was a sweet smell in the air. It was perfect.

Sokka was getting more and more giddy as the day went on. Everything was going perfectly. So far. The only thing was, well, he had been walking around with the ring in his pocket all this time. His plan was to find a nice box at the market, buy it, and put the ring into it. It had proven more difficult than he had anticipated. It wasn’t, perhaps, the best plan, but he was confident.

He did find something eventually. It was late, but it was perfect. He couldn’t ask for anything more. Well, perhaps maybe a big fat yes to a certain question, but he was getting to that.

Before that though, they had made their way over to where all the animals were kept. Kiyi screamed at the top of her lungs the moment she saw a sheep.

The moment Zuko spotted the sheep he had to suppress a sigh. He knew exactly what Sokka’s next words were going to be.

“You know, I still think sheep should only be plural.”

Zuko sighed. Well, he hadn’t exactly suppressed that sigh for long…

“Hmhm. I know. Yeah definitely.” Zuko said as Sokka rambled on.

“I just think it should work just like goose geese, it should be one shoop and two sheep.”

Zuko shared a look of annoyance with Kiyi. “He’s still on that?” Kiyi whispered to her big brother. He laughed quietly in reply.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Hey, it just makes sense, okay..? Although it would make the shoop shoop song a little bit odd, but hey who says you can’t love a shoop? Or even several sheep?”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “I cannot believe I’m in love with you.”

Sokka melted almost instantly. “I still can’t believe it either, baby.” He slid his hand into his neck and then pulled him close for a quick kiss.

“You are my everything,” Sokka whispered to his lips.

“You are my pain in the ass,” Zuko said smugly before kissing him again.

Sokka wanted to pretend to be hurt by that comment, but his love was just so sweet. The fact that he once again confirmed that he was in love with him was like the icing on the cake. It was everything he could possibly need to hear to know that his plan for today was going to work.

They continued on into the petting area and watched as Kiyi ran around and quickly petted every single animal. All the animals got a quick pat-pat before she hurried over to the next.

“Don’t you want to just sit down with one of them?” Zuko asked with a chuckle. He was feeling so light after his worries had all faded away.

Kiyi’s eyes turned big. “I can do that?”

“Yes, that’s what they’re here for..!” Sokka laughed too.

She chose a baby alpaca. The boys weren’t sure how good this was for the little one, but she was very soft so they stayed with her and kept petting her anyway.

It had all been great and very sweet until she spat on Sokka. Kiyi and Zuko laughed for minutes. Sokka tried his best to laugh along but in his gut, he was feeling a little bit down. He was going to have to propose with gross alpaca spit on his beautiful outfit….

To add to the pain he, of course, had to walk backwards into a goat who headbutted him so hard he fell to the ground. That was definitely going to be bruised for a long time. And again, his outfit was ruined…

Kiyi should know how terrible this was for him, but well, she was a toddler, so she just laughed in his face. Zuko had no idea how awful this was for him. He just laughed and pulled him up off the ground.

“You’re an idiot, come here.” He dusted off his clothes before placing both his hands on his shoulders and scanning his face. “You good?”

Sokka nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Zuko nodded, moved his hands to his cheeks and pecked his lips. “Good.”

That helped actually, the small public displays of affection. Zuko was growing more and more confident being in love out in the open. It warmed his heart greatly.

They continued to make their way around the petting area hand in hand. Kiyi was still trying her best to pet as many animals as she could even though she had most definitely already petted them all.

“Oh no..! I haven’t hugged that one yet..!” She exclaimed pointing at another goat. She absolutely had but they let her run over to it anyway. It was absolutely adorable to look at.

Zuko found himself thinking about having kids again. It was a nice thought. He held onto Sokka’s hand just a little tighter.

Sokka looked over at him and smiled. “She’s still so cute.”

“What do you mean still?” Zuko chuckled.

“I mean, after all this time, after hanging out all the time and seeing her basically every week… she’s still just so darn cute.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to be a father.”

“Well, don’t you?”

“Oh definitely, that’s exactly what I was just thinking of…” He paused, regretting saying that. He knew damn well Sokka was never going to drop that. “…but that doesn’t mean you can just mention that every single time you’re thinking of it.

“Why not?” Sokka said, stopping him and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Because… it’s… a lot.”

Sokka kissed his cheek and winked at him. “That’s fair. I’ll keep it all to myself then.” He instantly let go and walked off to play with Kiyi.

Oh. Well, that wasn’t what he meant. He loved talking about having kids later. He just… didn’t want to hear about it every single day and for hours upon hours… It was fine though, because now he had the time to just stand there and look at his two favourite people. They were so cute.

Sokka played around with her and teased her and Kiyi teased him right back. It was the sweetest thing in the world. He let himself fall down on a bail of hay and leant on his hand as he looked at them.

While he sat there gazing, a cat jumped up on his lap and curled up comfortably. He looked down at it. How cute was that? He gently placed his other hand on the cat, who immediately started purring.

Hm… maybe they should get a cat. They should visit the local shelter sometime soon.

Zuko looked back up and locked eyes with Sokka. They both grinned at each other. Zuko because Sokka was being cute, and Sokka because Zuko had a cat on his lap and well.. that was cute too.

They spent another 30 minutes there just simply hanging out, until they realized it was getting dark.

Well crap, he still had to propose. They had been having so much fun that for a little while… he had actually forgotten about it…

He whispered to Kiyi that it was time. She grinned up at him and instantly jumped to her feet.

Sokka grabbed Zuko’s hand as the stalls around them started turning on their fairy lights.

 _Oh_. Sokka though. _That was perfect._

He led Zuko and Kiyi to a bench under a big, blooming tree that was filled with little lights. It was utterly romantic.

He let the two of them sit down on the bench as he stood there, one hand in his pocket, the little box rolling around in his hand.

He attempted to chat lightly to not give away what he was about to do, but unfortunately, he was just coming across as nervous.

When he noticed Zuko was frowning up at him, his eyes concerned, he decided to just go for it. He looked up at the tree with the pretty lights, listened to the quiet music coming from somewhere near them, and felt the chilly breeze on his skin. He was ready. He breathed in deeply and then pulled the box out of his pocket.

“Hey babe, look at this box I bought earlier..!”

Zuko turned away from his little sister to look at it.

“Oh, that’s very pretty.”

He wanted to say they didn’t need it, Sokka had been buying too many things all day, but he realised it had already been paid for.

“You should see the inside too, it's so cool..!” Sokka said, way too giddy for his own good. He was going to give himself away before he got to actually ask the question. 

Zuko narrowed his eyes at him, his gut told him there was something going on, but even after the past six joke-proposals he still didn’t think to expect this.

He opened the box and as his eyes landed on the ring inside, Sokka got down on one knee, and Kiyi pulled out a banner with rainbows and hearts saying - _ **will you marry me?**_ -

Zuko’s eyes widened.

Sokka smiled at him with tears in his eyes. 

“Zuko. Baby. It took us a while to get there, but I have loved you for the past seven years of our lives. I know I will love you for the rest of the years that you will have me, so it only makes sense, after the past six failed attempts, that the seventh proposal is the real deal too. Zuko, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Zuko had tears streaming down his face. After all the joke-proposals he had been hoping for a real one. He wanted this too. Though his head kept telling him to wait, his heart told him it was time. They might have only dated for a year, but they had been in love for six years before that. He knew he was the one, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, he knew, to his core, that the answer was a very simple three-letter word, and yet… That’s not the answer that he gave.

“Sokka.” He closed the box, put it on the bench and then stood up before pulling Sokka up to his feet. Sokka frowned. For possibly the first time in his life he had been so sure of the answer but…. This was not it.

“Sokka, I love you.”

“but…?” Sokka asked, his voice small.

“No.”

Sokka’s heart sank.

“Oh…”

Zuko, while shaking his head in disbelieve, observed his face and started to panic the moment he saw the disappointment on his face. He looked down and found Kiyi clinging to his leg, her face sad.

“Wait wait wait. I’m not saying no. I don’t mean no as in I won’t marry you, I mean no as in there is no but!” He took his face in his hands. “Babe I love you. I want to spend every minute of my life with you.” 

Sokka pulled a face.

Zuko rolled his eyes.

“Okay, maybe not _every_ minute... But close..!” He turned around and took the ring out of the box. He handed it to Sokka and earned a confused look. He blushed. This was not how he wanted this to go. He had wanted to ask him actually. He was bad at answering questions, he was way better at asking them.

“Put it on me.” He demanded, both his hands covering Sokka’s.

Sokka’s eyes watered once more. “So?”

“What? You mean you don’t know yet? Yes! Of course, the answer is yes!”

“You don’t want to wait?” 

“Oh shut up, Sokka, you know _darn_ well my brain is telling me to wait but sometimes it’s stupid to listen to your brain.”

“That’s good advice to give Kiyi.” Sokka joked. 

“Oh shut up and kiss me.”

“So…. just to be clear… the answer is yes?”

Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes! Good god Sokka, yes yes yes! The answer is yes!” He was probably yelling by now, but the more he said the word yes the more he started to realise that another one of his dreams was coming true.

Sokka launched himself into his arms and kissed him deeply. Kiyi cheered from next to them. Their self-made banner on the dirty ground by now.

“I love you,” Sokka whispered with his eyes closed. Their foreheads were pressed together and they kept holding each other close. 

“I love you more.”

“I love you to the moon.”

“I love you to the stars.”

“I love you to the next galaxy.”

“I love you to the last galaxy.” He rubbed their noses together. “…and back.”

Sokka snorted. “You’re cheesy.”

Zuko nodded, he remembered that moment, a year ago almost to the day. “And you’re eggy.” He said just like he had back then. This time it was Zuko who rubbed their noses together and gazed into his eyes. He pulled him closer and kissed him again. And again. And again.

“Well, that was a train-wreck!” Kiyi said loudly from next to them. 

The two young men backed away from each other with a surprised laugh.

“What?”

“Where did you learn that?”

“You said no! And then yes! That’s bad Zuzu.”

Zuko blushed. “I just panicked okay..! There was so much I wanted to say..! And then I thought I don’t have time to say all these things, and that lead me to thinking about how I was thinking I wanted to ask you, cause for me asking questions is way easier than answering..! and then I thought oh no what if I had planned it and you beat me to it! And then I thought that’s stupid that’s not what happened and-”

Sokka pulled him in by his cheeks.

“She’s right. You’re a train wreck.”

“Me? She didn’t say you’re a train wreck, she said the whole thing was a train wreck.”

Sokka shrugged. “Only because you couldn’t get out of your head long enough to give me a three-letter answer.”

“You’re never going to let me forget about this, are you?”

“Nope.” Sokka’s eyes, as he said that, were impossibly loving. Zuko couldn’t help but melt. He closed his eyes and leant into Sokka’s grip.

“I love you.”

Sokka beamed at him until he opened his eyes.

“I love you too!”

They gazed at each other for a moment, with big grins on their faces.

“I do have one question though…” Zuko asked after the moment passed. “What did you mean with 6 failed proposals?”

Sokka’s eyes widened. “What..? No… Zuko…! You were there for all of them..!”

Zuko laughed. “Well, obviously..! But you’re not… you can’t… you’re not telling me all those jokes about getting married were you trying to propose for real..!”

“What if I was?”

Zuko blinked at him. It took his brain a moment to come up with a reply.

“Well, then you’d be a way bigger train wreck than I am..! If those were serious you were really, really bad at… well, everything.” Zuko laughed at the memories.

“Excuse me?!” Sokka exclaimed with his usual drama.

“Babe. You can’t tell me that saying, Hey do you think one of the octopus’s rings is a wedding ring, is an actual proposal..! Where was the ring? Why didn’t you get down on one knee? There were so many things that made it obvious it was a joke..!”

Sokka laughed with his eyes closed; he was absolutely right.

“Look. Maybe they were all bad. But I was also testing the waters..! I wanted to make sure you wanted this before asking you..! I wanted to be sure that you’d say yes..!”

Zuko shook his head again and then wrapped his arms around Sokka’s neck, pulling him closer. “And then I still messed it up, huh?”

Sokka rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Typical you.”

Zuko gasped just as dramatically as Sokka usually did, and then he kissed him fully on the lips.

“I love you, too.” Then he turned to Kiyi and hugged her tightly. “And I love you, too. Thank you for being a part of this.” He kissed her cheek and she grinned proudly.

“Wait…” He said, turning back towards Sokka. “…this was why you were with her last night?”

Sokka laughed and hugged the little girl close as well. “Yes..!”

“Oh god and that why you’ve been so out of it..!”

“Yes, I was putting together outfits and we made the banner and all that and then I drove home and thought, she’s gonna say it before I have the chance.”

“She almost did.”

“Yes, she almost did!”

They all laughed happily. Every single one of them beyond glad that she hadn’t spilled the beans all day.

Sokka pulled out a small camera and quickly took a photo of Zuko without warning him. Then he took a photo of the dirty banner on the ground, of Kiyi, of the ring on Zuko’s hand, and then a selfie of the three of them together.

He was already making a wedding gift. He had been for a few months now. It had photos and stories of all their dates and all their outings with Kiyi, and most importantly, all the times he tried to propose _jokingly_.

He was going to give it to him on their wedding day. Whenever that may be.

As they walked past the fair, back towards the car, they held hands the entire time. Zuko even, at one point, called Sokka his _fiancée_. Sokka absolutely melted and couldn’t help but pull him in for a kiss the second the woman looked away.

“I love you.”

Zuko let go of a soft, happy sigh before brushing some hair out of his face.

“And I love you.” He looked from eye to eye before adding, “my fiancée.” Just to try it out again.

Sokka’s eyes rolled back into his head as he smiled and let himself fall against Zuko’s chest. A moment later he moved away to look at his face and shake his head happily. He peppered his cheek in kisses, and then his lips, and then his other cheek.

“You’re everything.”

“And you’re annoying, let’s go..!” Kiyi said as she pulled on Sokka’s coat. “I wanna go home..!”

The adults laughed, their foreheads pressed against the other’s shoulder.

As they continued to walk towards the car Sokka was constantly feeling the ring on Zuko’s finger. Zuko couldn’t help but love it. He loved feeling it himself too. It felt so surreal to finally actually be engaged. They were actually, properly, for real, engaged right now. How crazy was that?

“We should get you a ring too,” Zuko whispered into his ear so that Kiyi wouldn’t sigh loudly and declare them annoying again.

Sokka grinned almost shyly. It was a look Zuko barely ever got to see and so he drank it in.

“I have an idea of what I want…” Sokka whispered to him. “I just didn’t want to get it made before I got your answer.”

Zuko snorted. “As if you didn’t already know the answer.”

“I mean… Look..!” He held up a finger to stop him from arguing. “I thought I did..! But there was still uncertainty….”

“There isn’t any more, I hope?”

Sokka pulled him against a wall and himself, and then towards his lips, kissing him deeply. “I hope that’s enough of an answer for you.” He said with his eyes fixated on his lips.

Zuko actually did not take that as an answer and still continued to tell him there was nothing to be uncertain about. “You don’t have to be insecure about that at all. I promise I am yours and- if you start singing that darn song I’m going to divorce you..!” He threatened with a single finger close to his face.

Sokka bit his lip and looked away at Kiyi. She grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up.

“Oh would you look at that, Kiyi is giving me permission..!”

Zuko whipped his head around to face her. He moved his single finger over to her and looked sternly. “Neither of you are singing that darn song.” He turned back to Sokka with a sigh.

“…as I was saying… I… I want this. There’s not a doubt in my mind.” He tilted his head and let his gaze linger on his lips until Sokka took the hint and kissed him quickly. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” His eyes were hooded as he said that. Sokka was still so close and he couldn’t wait to kiss him more.

Sokka moved closer until they could feel each other’s lips brush past their own ever so slightly.

“And I want to spend the rest of mine with you.”

They melted into a kiss that was perhaps a tad too passionate for where they were and who they were with but… they were engaged now so who could blame them?

They made sure not to take too long. They knew it wasn’t fair. Poor Kiyi really had two idiots to deal with every single time they took her somewhere.

When they finally backed away they took a hold of each other’s hand and then together with Kiyi they made their way over to the car. Finally.

They drove her home and the moment Ursa opened the door they could all see she was bursting with anticipation.

Zuko threw his hand in her face with a big grin.

“I said yes!”

“Ahh yes!!!” She exclaimed loudly. “I mean of course you did, but yes! I’m so happy for you guys!”

She threw her one free arm around her son and kissed the side of his head.

“Noren!” She called into the house. “He said yes!”

They heard Noren running down the stairs before he appeared in the hallway.

“Well, of course, he did, my dear.”

Zuko blushed a little bit. “Well, yeah…” He shrugged. Somehow it still felt awkward to know that other people just simply _knew_ how he felt about Sokka.

“He was a train wreck,” Kiyi told her parents.

Zuko gasped and Sokka started laughing so much he doubled over. “He was..!”

“He said no first.” Kiyi betrayed her brother.

Ursa gasped at him. “Zuko..! Tell me you didn’t..!”

“Hey! That’s not fair! I told him I loved him! And then he said ‘but…’ and then I said no, as in, there is no but!”

“So you were a train wreck.” Ursa nodded. She looked over at Sokka and shook her head fondly. “Sorry I raised a train wreck.”

Sokka just laughed and shook his head in reply. “No, no you’re all good, I love him just the way he is.” He waved her off.

Noren congratulated them both before excusing himself.

“We should go home and celebrate,” Sokka said as he hung an arm over his shoulder. “We still have half a bottle of wine.” He nodded to himself, and then gasped loudly when he realized something else. “…I think we still have some cheesecake leftover!”

Zuko shot him a look of annoyance, they had already eaten too much at the fair, but then couldn’t help it when he kissed his cheek.

Ursa congratulated them both again, made Kiyi do the same, and then retreated back into the house.

“Congrats again, boys. We’ll see you next week.”

Her and Kiyi waved them off from the kitchen window. The boys drove off while holding hands. It felt odd. They were so light and happy, as if there had been a weight on their shoulders this whole time, even though there hadn’t.

They spent the rest of the entire evening cuddled up on the couch, holding hands and kissing and whispering sweet things to each other. Kiyi would’ve told them it was gross.

“Hey babe, you know what?” Sokka whispered into his hair, his one hand drawing lazy patterns on his chest.

“Hm?” Zuko mumbled. He was getting sleepy. Sokka was so nice and warm and on the inside, he was also feeling nice and warm.

“I was just thinking… No matter what happens in the future…” He paused and Zuko turned to look at him. Sokka readjusted on the couch and Zuko turned further to face him properly.

Sokka was gazing at him. He was gorgeous. He was beautiful and smart and kind and an idiot and so, so much more. He was _everything_. And they were… as crazy as it seemed… actually engaged now.

He reached out for his hand. Zuko placed it in Sokka’s gladly. His fiancée pulled it up to his mouth and he pressed a soft kiss to the ring. Like a promise. I love you. I will always love you. I can’t wait to marry you.

He placed Zuko’s hand over his own heart before looking back up into Zuko’s eye.

“…I will spend my whole life loving you.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. Fully ignoring the fact that they were stinging and filling up with tears. He took in a breath that turned out to be way shakier than he had been going for. He nodded as he chewed on his bottom lip.

“Yes, me too.”

He moved until he could hover over him. Sokka’s hand came up to cup his cheek. He allowed Sokka to pull him in for a kiss, but after only a second he pulled away.

“I love you with all of me, and more.”

They kissed for what seemed like forever. It was warm and calm and beautiful. There was no need for desperation or frantic passion. All they needed was each other, and that was exactly what they already had.

“So one day, huh?” Sokka asked him with a smirk.

“One day.” Zuko agreed. “Soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly cannot believe I have written this much for a single story..! I hope everyone enjoyed it. I sure had fun writing it. 🥰💖


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